The First time Ever
by Notinmyhead
Summary: Callie had completely given up on love and Arizona's the new peds surgeon. You know the drill. They find themselves falling for each other, but can they put their pasts behind them?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, so I've gone for the classic 'Arizona's a new doctor and her and Callie fall in love' fanfic. I know it's a cliché but I just couldn't resist! It starts roughly as it did on the show but it'll deviate from the plot further down the line.**

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

Ugh, make it stop.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

This is not helping my headache.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Okay, okay, I'm up!" I sighed, raising my half dead arm and throwing it back down on top of the happiness ruining machine they called an alarm clock, and the room was filled with a blissful silence. It couldn't last long, as I (unfortunately) had to get up and dressed and all the things necessary for a day at work.

By the time I had gotten ready and downed a cup of coffee I was completely awake and in a much better mood, if you didn't count the headache. I picked up my bag containing all of the stuff I would need for today, and then finally addressed the aggressive knocking on my door, and pulled it open to reveal my best friend Mark standing there with his hand still raised in the air.

I raised one eyebrow at him. "You know you can just come in, instead of nearly knocking down my door?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Just feeling in a door knocking kind of mood today." He replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, I have a headache, and your door knocking mood is _not_ appreciated in the slightest."

He laughed, slinging an arm around my shoulder as we walked across the street to the hospital. "Jeez, Torres, who pissed in your Cheerio's this morning?"

"The overnight shift I have tonight." I replied. "And the fact that I can see people staring at me!" I said rather loudly and pointedly to one of the nurses who were standing by the coffee cart outside the hospital, clearly talking about me to her redhead friend.

The most annoying part is that she wasn't the first person who had talked or stared or gossiped about me. Ever since George had cheated on me and Erica had taken no time in fleeing, all I ever saw was people looking at me. Some were sympathetic. Some were empathetic. Some felt sorry for me and some were embarrassed for me. Either way, they stared. And it had begun to get on my nerves.

"Walk tall, Torres." Mark murmured in my ear. Ever since that thing in the elevator that had become his saying to me whenever we noticed people staring at me. I sighed and nodded- it would go away after a few weeks. At least it did with George.

"Anyway, there's a new head of Peds, did you hear?" Mark asked as we stood in line for the coffee cart. I know I just downed a coffee, but no amount of coffee in the world was going to make this headache go away.

"Yeah, Bailey told me she was kind of a bitch." I replied.

"I wonder if she's hot." He wondered out loud, making me laugh. Of course he would think about that.

The rest of the morning was routine- We got coffee, then I wet of towards the resident's lounge and he to the attending's one. I rounded on patients, each of them with many new questions that had formed overnight, and settled my OR schedule with the other surgeons before stepping back to look at the board.

"Not a bad day, huh?" An unfamiliar voice said from beside me making me jump. I spun around to see a woman standing there, and my jaw literally dropped. She had the bluest, most piercing eyes I had ever seen, and killer dimples on each of her cheeks, and blonde hair that was braided on the back of her head. I floundered around in my head for a second trying to remember how to close my jaw and form a coherent response.

"Uh… yeah." I replied dumbly, still trying to get over this woman who stood in front of me. "It's been bad over the last few weeks."

"I'm Arizona Robbins, new head of peds surgery." She said, holding out a pale hand for me to shake. I patted myself on the back for being able to do this without making an idiot of myself, and had to hold in a gasp as electric currents shocked my arm as she touched it. I smiled at her.

"Callie Torres, ortho." I introduced myself, hoping with all my might that she hadn't heard any of the rumours about me. I took relief in the fact that her face seemed impassive and she didn't seem to have heard anything. Either that or she was just a really good actress.

Just then our conversation was interrupted by the high pitched beeping of a pager, and we both checked ours to see whose it was. "It's mine!" She declared turning to me and frowning slightly. "I have to go, Bailey already doesn't have a lot of faith in me and I don't wanna make it worse."

I nodded and smiled. "Well I guess I'll see you around."

And with that she set off but I stopped her.

"Oh, and Arizona?"

She stopped in her tracks and her head snapped round to me. "Yeah?"

"Bailey didn't like anyone to begin with. Just give her time."

She then gave me one of her dimple smiles and set off leaving me melting to a puddle on the floor. _'Pull it together, Calliope.'_ I told myself, shaking my head as I watched her take off on her wheely sneaks and with a flash of blonde hair she rounded the corner and was gone.

"Damn, she is hot." I found myself saying before returning to my work, which was pretty boring so far.

"Who is?" Cristina, my roommate said as she walked up to me, handing me charts. "Shepherd wants your opinion on the death row patient- he's got a toothbrush in his spine."

"The new head of peds." I replied before stopping in my tracks. "Wait, death row patient? What're you talking about?"

"Yeah, guys slit six woman's throats. But anyway, you up for the consult?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." I agreed and followed her.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?"

It was a few hours later and I was sitting in the cafeteria alone. I was waiting for Mark when he text me saying he'd gotten pulled into surgery, and I didn't feel like sitting in a group of people so I just stayed on my own.

I looked up from my tray to see Arizona Robbins standing there, looking perfect and smiley as usual. I hadn't seen her around a lot, but whenever I had she'd been smiling.

"Yeah, sure." I agreed lightly, shifting my tray to make room for hers. I was glad when my words didn't come across as moody and bitchy as they had before.

"If you see Bailey coming, tell me." She said, looking over her shoulder to the cafeteria doors. "She still doesn't believe that I'm a competent enough doctor so she keeps trying to get me to try every approach. Every approach, that is, except the one I'm taking." She ranted and I just sat there with a smile. How could she be so comfortable around me? We were strangers to each other and yet she was taking to me as if I were her best friend.

"When the new interns start, the ones in Bailey's group got told that she already hated them and that wasn't going to change. Her kid's middle name's George after one of the interns." I informed her and she laughed and shook her head, twisting her fork around a very green and leafy looking salad.

"Yeah, well something tells me that she's not going to naming any of her children after me any time soon." She laughed. "So, why orthopaedics?" She asked, taking a sip of her juice.

"I was in The Peace Corps when I was a teenager which probably made me want to become a doctor, and I'm not sure where ortho came from. I just seemed to lean towards it." I told her. "Why peds?"

"When I was twelve I had this cousin who had stage three lung cancer. We were so close so I used to visit her in the hospital a lot, and it just intrigued me somewhat. She beat her cancer and I decided that I wanted to be one of those people who had helped her."

I raised my eyebrows. "Well, my story's relatively boring now." I said and she giggled. Just then her pager went off and she frowned as she looked down at it.

"That's my liver and intestine kid. He's coding again." And with that she ran off without another word, leaving me sitting there with her nearly empty tray and a mind full of fluff.

"I think you've got the hots for the new peds surgeon." Mark said as he walked over to me later on, having caught me staring at her from across the ER again.

"I do not." I scoffed in an unconvincing tone, dropping my head back down to the charts I was filling in.

"You so do." He replied, and just then it hit me that we sounded very much like kids from elementary school.

"It doesn't matter if I do anyway; she's probably straight and has people lining up for her. She's not gonna want _me."_

His face turned serious. "You don't give yourself enough credit." He said, before smiling. "And anyway, I've stalked her Facebook page and she is _not_ straight." He said jokingly and I swatted his arm.

"Hey, no stalking hot peds surgeons!" I chastised playfully. And of course, it would be just my luck that Arizona would walk over just in time to hear the last part.

"What about stalking peds surgeons?" She asked with a suspicious smile, and I stammered over words while Mark just laughed.

"Oh look, I'm being paged." I muttered, even though the pager that I had attached to my hip was completely silent. I gave them both a hurried smile before walking away quickly and briskly, barely able to keep the smile off my face and the blush off of my cheeks.


	2. Chapter 2

Summary chapter two

Arizona's POV

For the next few days most of my thoughts were taken up by a certain Latina ortho surgeon. Her bright smile and dark hair stayed pictured in my mind which left me with a smile.

Okay, that was cheesy.

But it was true. I couldn't get Callie Torres out of my head and I hadn't even had a handful of conversations with her yet. From what my new friend and colleague, Teddy, had told me about her, she could use some people in her corner right now. First her husband cheated on her and then her girlfriend completely left her? I felt bad. But if being her friend was what it took to help her get over being upset, then I'd be the most awesome friend.

"Cristina Yang is driving me nuts." Teddy sighed as she set her tray down next to mine and collapsed into the chair across the table. She grabbed an apple from the tray and began to eat it.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh yeah? What's she done now?" I'd heard all about Cristina Yang, multiple times. She was a brilliant surgeon, more talented that any resident this hospital had ever seen, but over confident and risky.

"She keeps questioning my approach on everything, as if being in the desert for two years saving people somehow makes me an incompetent doctor." She huffed, moving on to her salad and stabbing it angrily with her fork.

"Hey. The salad is not Cristina Yang. It never did anything to you."

Just then, Mark Sloan came walking over, and I smiled as I saw Callie trailing behind him wearing a smile. "We're sitting here." He announced and sat down, and I just shrugged and turned to Callie.

"So how has the day been in the life of an ortho surgeon?" I asked conversationally as I sipped my juice.

"Fabulous." She replied slightly sarcastically, making me smile. I continued to eat my lunch while I listened to everybody else's conversation, which mostly revolved around surgeries or gossip. It spread like wildfire in this place.

But no lunch break ever lasts long for a surgeon. About fifteen minutes after Callie and Mark joined us my pager went off indicating that some tiny humans needed me. I'd had one major patient in my week and a half here, Jackson Prescott, and even though it was difficult he' pulled through and we'd successfully performed a liver and intestine transplant on him.

The hardest thing I found about starting my new job was proving myself. Specifically to Miranda Bailey, who doubted me from day one just because I didn't agree with her approach. However she seemed to warm up to me once Jackson was better and we were good now.

Later that day I received a text from Teddy informing me that she and some other doctors were going out for drinks at the bar just across the street. Joe's, I believed it was called. I was told that there were always people from the hospital there after their shift so whenever I was done I was to just make my way over.

Before I left the hospital I quickly splashed my face with some water to wake me up more. I barely got any sleep anymore because half the time I was afraid to go to sleep, and the other half I would wake up in a cold sweat with my heart beating a hundred miles per hour.

"Phoenix!" Mark shouted out to me as I entered the bar, reminding me very much of my best friend Nick. I squinted through the strange lighting of the place to see him standing by the bar with Teddy and Addison Montgomery waving at me. I smile as I approached them, calling to the bartender, who by the way was surprisingly called Joe, for a white wine.

"Sloan!" I called back in the same tone making him laugh. I sat down beside the bar and greeted Teddy, Addison and Callie with a hug. I had trouble pulling away from Callie; I'm not ashamed to admit.

As the night wore on I felt myself becoming more relaxed, and after my third or fourth glass of wine Mark deemed me too boring and started ordering Tequila. Now from my student years I knew that mixing drinks was _not_ a good idea, so I decided to go and hide in the bathroom before the shot competitions started.

I sighed as I walked into the grubby bar bathroom, wrinkling my nose at the strong smell of urine mixed with alcohol filled my nostrils. The first thing I noticed was Callie standing by the sink hastily wiping away what were clearly tears and I frowned. "Are you okay?" I asked, deciding to address the fact that there was something wrong.

She turned round to face me. "Yeah, no, I'm fine, I'm… I'm fine." She stumbled over her words, making me smile.

"People talk." I blurted out, slapping myself internally. Who says that? Oh, right, me. "Where we work, they talk. A lot. So for the sake of being honest, I think I should tell you that I know things about you." Really? Could I sound any more like a nosy teenage girl? "Because people talk."

Her face dropped more and her shoulders slumped. "Oh. You mean..?" She asked referring to George and Erica and everything that had happened. I nodded. "Terrific." She mumbled sarcastically.

"It is, actually! The talk." I exclaimed, trying to get her to smile. "People really like you over there. They respect you, and they're concerned, and interested… They really like you. Some of them _really_ like you." I whispered, finally getting a smile from her. It was a nice smile, even if it was forced. "It's just, you look upset, and I thought you should know, the talk is good. And when you're not upset, when you're over being upset, there'll be people lining up for you." I finished, and she laughed sarcastically, as if the idea of people being interested in her was ridiculous.

"Wanna give me some names?"

What I did next surprised me. In a dirty bar bathroom, without even knowing her properly, I leaned in and kissed her. I kissed her! I remember one time I'd done that before in high school at prom, and the person had run away. Great. But Callie showed no signs of running.

I never really understood what people in the books and movies said about your heart flying and butterflies in your stomach, and I always just guessed that it was fake, or that there was something wrong with me. But here in this smelly bar bathroom I felt my heart fly and there were butterflies the size of Texas in my stomach. I drew back and took a deep breath.

"I think you'll know." I smiled brightly before casting one last glance at her and walking out of the bathroom to join our friends again. Apparently that whole scene had lasted longer than I thought it had, because Mark and Cristina Yang, who seemed to have joined us, were having an intense shot drinking competition. I laughed and rolled my eyes, resuming my place beside the bar with Teddy as we watched with amused faces. Well, she watched, I kept sneaking glances at Callie who had also re-joined us, and I found myself getting caught more than once.

"Oh my God, you like her!" Teddy exclaimed too loudly for my liking, as if she had no idea that Callie was right next to us.

"Teddy, shut up!" I hissed in her ear and she gave me an apologetic glance, mouthing 'sorry' to me. I quickly shot Callie a quick look to see if she had noticed, but she seemed pretty clueless, or she was just pretending not to hear for the sake of my embarrassment. "I'm going." I announced, standing up and grabbing my bag. I had work tomorrow so I couldn't afford to drink any more than I already had, and as my thoughts were completely consumed by Callie Torres, I staying here wasn't really relevant.

"Me too, me too!" Teddy exclaimed as she followed me out of the bar. "You know, I'm not really that sorry." She said in an even tone as we exited the bar and I cast a quick look around the place to see if there was anyone who could hear.

"I kissed her." I admitted suddenly and she just stood there in silence. "In the bathroom, I don't even know what happened, but I just… I dunno." I rambled and she began to smile.

"Your idea of picking up girls is kissing them in dirty bar bathrooms?" She snickered as we began to walk, and I scoffed and slapped her gently on the arm.

"Not usually!" I exclaimed. "But what does this mean?"

"Do you like her?" Teddy asked sceptically as we stopped just outside the apartment building. She only lived three floors down.

I thought for a moment. "Well… Yeah." I said, only just realising it myself. I liked her! Oh crap… "But I don't know if I want anything…" I trailed off, remembering everything that had happened in Baltimore that led me to moving here. "I don't know if I'm ready."

Teddy frowned. "How come? You clearly like her. Not to mention you kissed her." She pointed out, making my sigh. Teddy had no idea.

"I just don't know, Teddy." I snapped and we halted just outside her door. "Look, I'm sorry okay? Just give me time to think."

She nodded understandingly. "Just don't take too long. Callie Torres deserves answers."

 _I could see him out of the corner of my eye. A tall, hooded figure walking behind me, whose face I couldn't see and whose footsteps were in sync with mine. Without glancing back again I quickened my pace as much as I could without being too obvious, urging myself to stay calm._

 _My heart started beating faster when he also sped up, my hands starting to shake as I realised he was walking faster than me. He kept his face hidden the whole time._

 _I broke out into a run, suddenly hyper aware of every single danger concerning this situation, sprinting as fast as I could towards the nearest safe place I could find. My apartment._

 _He was too fast. A strong hand grabbed my hair from behind and yanked me back. I struggled and kicked him but he was completely unaffected by my useless attempts to defend myself._

" _Not so fast." He hissed into my ear._

I woke with a start, my heart flying faster than any hummingbird, sheen of cool sweat covering my face. My breathing was nearly out of control and I worked desperately to get it under control.

Once the room had stopped spinning I leaned back against the pillows of the bed, running my hand through my hair and exhaling deeply.

"I'm at home." I told myself firmly. "I'm in bed, and safe. I'm okay."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

 **Hi guys! Just want to thank you all for your nice reviews and I'm glad you like it!**

 **max123- Thank you for the 'constructive' criticism. You know, it's a good thing that I don't care about how many reviews I get. I love to write, so I write. I love Calzona, so I write about Calzona. Feel free to never read or review again.**

"Oooh, you're not looking so fabulous." Teddy told me the next day as we stood at the nurse's station on the peds floor. We were working together on an eight year old Mikey Harter who needed a lung transplant.

"Well thank you very much." I muttered sarcastically, silently agreeing with her. My lack of sleep combined with the events of last night made for a slow start to the day and a headache, although I knew the others who had been there last night had it worse. I'd walked past Cristina Yang earlier and she looked almost zombie like, although she refused to promise she'd never drink again, so she couldn't have been that bad.

"Are you okay though? You're really quiet." She asked me more seriously and I sighed.

I was quiet because I was pissed. Pissed at myself, pissed at _him_ , pissed at the universe. It had been almost two years now and I had finally thought the nightmares had stopped. I thought I was finally moving on with my life instead of getting hung up on it, but no, it always came back to haunt me.

"I'm fine." I assured her. "Just a headache."

She looked at me sceptically for a moment before dropping it. "I feel ya." She agreed. "I think I'll just stay indoors for the rest of my life. Maybe I'll buy a cat."

"Yeah, and then you'll be the crazy cat lady." I joked, relieved that she hadn't pressed on further.

The rest of the day was pretty normal for a surgeon. In other words, hectic, because a normal person's definition of hectic was a doctors definition of normal, and their definition of quiet was a doctor's definition of boring.

"Hey, Casey!" I sang as I walked into ten year old Casey Parker's room. I was more than relieved when my headache had subsided about an hour ago, and with an extra-large coffee a smile from Calliope across the room, it was needless to say that I was in a considerably better mood than this morning.

"Dr Robbins! Thank goodness you're back!" She sighed dramatically, throwing her arms up in the air. "It's soooo boring here- the TV's don't have any good channels on them."

I laughed because I knew it was true. I definitely felt sorry for the kids who were here for a long time, because if I were in these rooms for any longer than an hour by myself then I would surely die of boredom. Seriously. "Well I'll definitely make a complaint about that. How are you doing today?" I asked as I checked her vitals and reviewed her charts.

"Apart from bored? Just regular. The tube hurts sometimes but it's okay." She said, holding her arm up and gesturing to her IV lines. I smiled gently as I pulled over the IV tray from the corner of the room and begun taking it out.

"All the medication's done from this one, anyway." I told her. It didn't take me long to remove it and clean everything up, so I pulled out a pack of cards that I had in my lab coat pocket for some reason. "How about crazy eights?"

"I love crazy eights. You always lose." She laughed and I placed my hand over my chest and scoffed in fake hurt.

"Just remember who's operating on you later." I chuckled which definitely made her shut up.

About an hour and five lost games of crazy eights later, I emerged from Casey' room with a smile. I glanced down at my watch to see that I had plenty of time before my next surgery. My smile grew when I saw the familiar face of a certain Latina at the nurse's station talking to one of my favourite nurses, Holly. She'd shown me around when I'd first arrived here and she was pretty nice. I walked over and started signing charts while I waited for their conversation to be over.

"Calliope!" I exclaimed brightly as I approached her, putting on my best dimple smile.

"Arizona!" She exclaimed back just as brightly, putting aside the work she'd been doing and turning to face me. I stopped for a minute as I was near enough blinded by her 100 watt smile.

"Um, patient in room twelve has a pretty nasty tib/fib break; I don't know if you knew, so could you check that out, please? And also willyougoonadatewithme?" I asked at lightning speed but I'm pretty sure she got it when her face lit up. I'd had some reservations about this, because over everything that had happened over the last two years had made me a completely different person from the last time I had dated someone. However, I had slapped myself mentally and told myself to pull it together, because I definitely wanted to try with Calliope. "Tomorrow, 1pm? Great." I spoke quickly, rushing off before I could say something embarrassing or she said no. Because what if she wasn't even free tomorrow? What if she didn't want to go on a date?

"Arizona!"

I snapped my head back round so quickly that I could've sworn I got whiplash.

"What should I wear?"

So I decided on just keeping it a casual day date. Just lunch and maybe coffee at the café that I went to when I had time that was joined to a book store. I figured going to see a movie or going out for a meal was a bit of a cliché so I decided against that.

Since it was approaching fall and the weather definitely wasn't as cool, I decided against skirts or dresses or anything like that. Instead, I kept it casual with navy skinny jeans, a white and navy long sleeved striped shirt. I paired this with black combat boots and a purple scarf. I kept my hair down and curly since the wind wasn't too crazy.

I glanced at my watch and realised that if I didn't leave now then I was going to be late. I quickly smoothed some clear lip gloss over my lips, grabbed my purse and then left.

It didn't take me long to reach the café since it was just a few streets away from the hospital. The first thing I always noticed when I stepped into this place was the warm smell of coffee and peppermint, which definitely created a cosy feeling. I glanced around the place. It appeared that Calliope hadn't arrived yet so I took a seat at one of the chairs next to window so that she would be able to spot me.

It was only about five minutes before Callie came rushing in, apologising profusely for being so late. She said something about a last minute consult at the hospital. She looked stunning in a red and grey checked shirt, black jeans and knee high black boots. I quickly shrugged her apologies off and assured her it was fine.

"I'm a surgeon too, I get it." I reminded her. "And plus, I'm an army brat, so I'm always early to everything."

We quickly ordered some food each, me going for the turkey sandwich and she going for a BLT, by my recommendation. They did have the best BLT here.

"So, you grew up in Miami, right? Must have been great." I said just as the waiter came over with our food. We thanked him and began to eat.

"It was. The weather was so much better there. I've lived here for five years and I still haven't seen a full day of sunshine." She half pouted.

"Well you still have the Miami glow." I smiled before frowning internally. "Okay, that was weird. I just meant that you-"

"It's okay I get it." She smiled and I momentarily felt ashamed for rambling so much. The old Arizona wouldn't have rambled- but then again, a lot had changed.

"So, are you named after the state or the battleship?" She asked curiously, and the part that got me was that she was actually being genuine. I stopped mid-sip of my coffee which caused a major and probably highly unattractive coughing fit. ' _What's going on with you? Pull yourself together!'_ I chastised myself. "Sorry, uh, touchy subject?" Callie frowned questioningly, although the corners of her mouth were lifted up in an amused smile.

"No, not at all. I was just surprised." I laughed. "I was actually named after the battleship- the USS Arizona. My grandfather was serving on it when the Japanese bombed and he saved 19 men before he drowned." I recited proudly. My past was a touchy subject for me, but this was one of the few topics that I would talk about freely and proudly.

"Well that's an amazing story. Unfortunately 'Calliope' just means music. Nothing that great." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Well your voice is like music to my ears." I said sappily, and then cringed at how sappy and cheesy that sounded. Callie seemed to think it was hilarious.

"Where did you get that one, 100 worst pickup lines?" She guessed, still laughing.

"Nope, that's just my game." I replied casually, before a set of books on the bookshelf opposite us caught my eye. "Ooh, it's all the Harry Potter books!" I exclaimed excitedly before grabbing Callie's hand and dragging her over to the other side of the shop with me. "I always meant to buy a whole new set- mine are so old and used and falling apart!"

She raised her eyebrows. "You're like a child." She said jokingly, beginning to flick through a few of the other books.

I scoffed. "After the fourth book, these books are _not_ children's books. And anyway, I'm a peds surgeon, so it gets hard not to like Harry Potter."

"Hmm. So where did you grow up?" She asked nonchalantly as she continued to look over more books, occasionally adding one to her pile.

"Where didn't I grow up? I lived everywhere. As I said I'm an army bat so we moved every eighteen months, but when I was sixteen we finally settled more in Baltimore."

"Baltimore, that's pretty far away. Why move all the way to Seattle? I mean, you worked at Johns Hopkins, right? That's a pretty prized fellowship." She asked and I contemplated whether I should tell her or not.

I sighed. "That's a long story. And a deep one. Maybe later? It just isn't a very bookshop café type conversation." I said, feeling myself getting nervous. I wasn't as ashamed to talk about it anymore, but I just didn't want it to change anything between us.

"Okay." She said simply.

"So why move all the way across the country from Miami?" I asked.

"Well I was just an intern when I moved here, and Seattle Grace has the top ranked teaching programme in the country. It was a no-brainer."

"Yeah, I guess. I like teaching. Except Cristina Yang. She is not easy to teach anything to." I said, remembering all of my previous conversations with Teddy.

"Yeah, well, she's my roommate, so I can't really say anything." Callie chuckled and I gasped. "But I will agree- she is stubborn and cranky. She's a pretty nice person once you get to know her though."

The rest of the day passed in a blur of laughter and easy conversations. We left the café eventually and just started walking around, entering a few shops and what not. I was actually having the best time and I didn't want this date to end. However, when the weak fall sun began to dim and the darkness came creeping in, it was time to call it a day.

"I've had the best time today." I said as we stood outside of Calliope's apartment door. I was on call tonight so I was just going home to grab my things and then back to the hospital.

"It was an amazing day." She said in agreement, taking my hand in hers. It was a casual action, one that we'd repeated many times throughout the day, but it never failed to give me electric currents shooting up my arm.

I watched as she became closer to me, and soon I could smell the sweet coconut and cocoa beans smell of her hair. I took a deep breath before our lips collided, and my hands immediately reached up to her hair. It was a soft kiss, and nothing but a kiss, but it was the best kiss I'd ever had.

We drew back after a minute when we both needed air, and I smiled brighter and so widely that my cheeks hurt. "I've been waiting all day to do that."

"Yeah, me too." She breathed in agreement. We stood there in comfortable silence for a few seconds before I realised that I was going to be late if I didn't move now.

"I have to go. But we should do this again." I said, taking a pen from my bag and writing my number down on the back of her hand. Once I was done I gave her hand a soft kiss and smiled at her. "Goodbye, Calliope."

"Goodbye, Arizona."


	4. Chapter 4

The First Time Ever chapter four

 **TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT. DO NOT READ IF YOU MIGHT BE TRIGGERED.**

Callie's POV

"Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Addison begged as we walked along the usually busy halls of Seattle Grace Mercy West. All day long Addison had been prying me for details about my date with Arizona, but all my explanations were nowhere near how it actually was. It was absolutely perfect.

"It was amazing, Addison." I repeated for what seemed like the millionth time today. But Addison of course wanted more than that.

"That hardly counts as details. You sound like a love-struck teenager." She complained as we approached the nurse's station. The hospital was swamped today- the winter that was slowly creeping in was bringing with it the usual winds and rain and ice, which made for many road accidents and people with broken bones.

"I _feel_ like a love-struck teenager. It was magical." I sighed and Addison just stood there staring at me like I'd just grown an extra head. "What?"

"That was literally the most un-Callie Torres thing anybody could say." She said blankly just as her pager went off. She checked it quickly before turning to me. "And if you'll excuse me, I have to go vomit."

I smiled as I watched her go, shaking my head at her usual sarcastic attitude. It was then that I saw a familiar face approaching me, one that I was more than happy to see. I smiled really wide as Arizona came gliding over, literally, coming to a neat stop right beside me.

"Calliope!" She chirped and her voice was literally like music to my ears. Okay, cheesy. But true.

"Arizona!" I exclaimed back in the exact same tone, laying aside my charts and giving her my full attention.

We hadn't seen each other an awful lot since the date, which was about a week ago. Apart from one sweet stolen kiss in the stairwell as we passed, we'd only had fleeting conversations, since we'd both been so busy. We'd talked plenty over text though, and I was thrilled to be getting to know her. I could definitely see us going somewhere already.

"I've had a great day. Saved three tiny humans and scheduled a transplant that we've been waiting on for ages. But I don't want to jinx it." She revealed with a smile. "You free for lunch?"

I checked the clock to see that I had about half an hour left until I needed to start heading to my next surgery, so I happily agreed and we walked down to the cafeteria, the conversation flowing freely between us.

"I'm surprised I've never gotten food poisoning from this stuff." Arizona said as she made a face at the mess of what appeared to pasta on her plate. Having learned from previous experiences I normally just stuck with a salad and a bag of chips from the vending machine and had a proper meal when I had time at home.

"I have. Never eat any form of meat that they give you. Ever." I warned importantly and she laughed.

"You talking from experience?" She laughed and I made a face at her, feeling very much like a five-year-old. Just then, Cristina walked up to us and addressed me.

"I'm going to Owen's tonight, so I won't be home. I'll be here all day, even though nobody's letting me scrub in and Teddy's mad at me." She said sourly.

"I have a knee replacement in twenty. Scrub in if you want." I offered and she just shrugged and stalked off. I shrugged my shoulders once again and turned back to Arizona, figuring I'd see Cristina in the OR.

"Well, she has an attitude like a pack full of skittles, doesn't she?" Arizona said, raising her eyebrows as she watched Cristina go. I laughed at her comment.

"'An attitude like a pack full of skittles'?" I questioned and she shrugged.

"Just something a patient of mine says." She said. "So, do you ever actually get proper meals here?"

"Not unless I make them. Not to brag, but I'm an excellent cook."

"Oh really?"

"Totally. I make kickass chicken picatta."

"I don't believe you."

I laughed at her shaking my head. "Come over tonight, 7pm. I'll prove it to you."

I sighed as I sprayed the counters with a damp cloth for the millionth time tonight. Arizona had texted me mere minutes ago to say that she was going to be about ten minutes late as she had a last-minute patient come in, and I totally understood. One time I'd completely missed a date and forgot to text the person to apologise, so her being ten minutes late wasn't exactly something I could hold against her.

The whole apartment smelled amazing, if I do say so myself. Chicken Picatta was one of my favourite dishes that my mom ever taught me how to make, but I hadn't cooked it in a long time. I smiled as I remembered standing on a stool beside my mother at the oven, incessantly asking questions about this, that and the next thing. I would watch every move she made carefully, but through my entire adult life I'd never been able to make it exactly like she did.

I jumped slightly as there was a soft knock at the door, pulling me out of my thoughts. I quickly wiped my hands on the dishcloth and discarded my apron before walking over to the door. I took a deep breath before pulling it open slowly.

She looked stunning. She wore white jeans with purple halter top and purple heels. Her hair had been straightened and it hung to her shoulders like this, and her top showed off just the right about of cleavage to not be too much. I stood there in awe for a few seconds before she cleared her throat, making me blush bright red. I could feel my face heat up.

"Hello, Calliope. You look beautiful." She said warmly and I glanced down at my own outfit. Black skinny jeans, black heels, and a white long sleeved top that flared out at the bottom a bit.

"Don't hold a candle to you." I replied, drawing her in for a quick, soft kiss. "Make yourself at home." I told her, gesturing to the whole apartment. I gently took her coat off her shoulders and hung it up on the rack before going back over to the kitchen and beginning to serve.

"I'm so sorry for being late, but I can't just turn tiny humans down and..." She rambled but I cut her off.

"You're actually right on time." I said, indicating to the food that I was putting on the plates.

"It smells amazing in here." She complimented, leaning against the counter and lifting an eyebrow at me. "I'm afraid I might lose the bet."

"If there was a bet even placed in the first place." Finishing off what I was doing and bringing the plates over to the table. "Red or white?" I asked, indicating to the two wine bottles stood next to each other on the table.

"Hmm… White, please." She decided, taking a seat at the table and accepting the glass when I handed her it. She took a sip and closing her eyes and sighed. "I've needed this. Work has been so crazy. Not all the parents trust me because I'm so new, and it takes ages to adjust, I mean, I moved across the country, and it's always tough working with kids." She rambled. "I'm sorry, that was a lot."

I silenced her with a wave of my hand. "Don't worry about it, I get it."

There was a comfortable silence for a few minutes as we ate. "This is so good." Arizona practically moaned which suddenly made it very hard for me to concentrate on anything.

"I'm glad you like it." I smiled happily, and I kind of agreed with her.

We finished our dinner with quiet conversation that broached many different topics, and once it was finished we moved over to the couch and continued talking animatedly.

"And I swear she just drove me nuts half of the time. I'm much more like my dad, but he isn't a big talker. I love my mom, but she sometimes talks too much." She laughed as she completed her story of what her parents were like.

"My dad is great. Always looking out for me. One time he hired private investigators to get rid of some bullies. I haven't come out to either of them yet- I was raised strictly catholic. I'm sure they'd freak out. But my mom taught me how to make this chicken picatta."

"Well she can't be that bad then." She said jokingly making us both laugh again. I swear I hadn't laughed as much in a long time as I did that night. Arizona had a quick mind and a wicked sense of humour which was really amusing at some points.

"So I have a confession to make." Arizona said guiltily as I refilled both of our glasses.

"Oh yeah?"

"I researched Erica Hahn and I completely agree with everybody's consensus that she is a complete and utter bitch." She said quickly, making my smile falter but quickly come back when she started to ramble yet again. "I was just curious to see who this bitch was and I figured you wouldn't want to talk about it so I just-"

"It's fine, don't worry." I assured her, surprising myself. I always thought that when the subject of Erica came up that I'd be upset, or really pissed off or something, but I guess not. I had moved on. I had Arizona now.

"She's a bitch for ditching you." She commented. "I get it, you know, my last girlfriend ditched me too. Emma."

"Oh yeah why?" I asked. I'm pretty sure that she knew all of the details about George and Erica, whether through hospital gossip or through Mark I wasn't sure. But she probably knew and I didn't really want to go into details.

She bit her lip nervously and cast a furtive glance around the room. "That's a long story that is probably going to ruin the happy mood and make me really emotional. So, I can refrain from telling you or I can just spit it out." She said, and it was safe to say that I was rather taken aback. That wasn't what I expected.

"No, go on. If you want to. You don't have to. But I'm okay with it if you to." I rambled causing her to smirk slightly, before taking a deep breath and muttering 'here goes' under her breath.

"So, about two years ago, I started getting these texts. The first one was ' _I know who you are.'_ It sounded creepy, but I just brushed it off as a wrong number. I text them letting them know but they never got back to me. I pretty much just forgot about it, until they messaged me again. It was always the same weird and creepy stuff, like ' _You have no idea where or who I am'_ or _'If you want horror, look in the mirror'._ Eventually I blocked the number, but then a new number started texting me the same things. So, I switched my phone. And then this person started targeting me through social media, but he had the name 'Nobody Nobody', which was silly and infuriating.

"And I kept blocking him, but he'd always come back through different accounts and I just didn't know what to do. He never gave any information about himself away, just death threats and insults. I made new accounts and everything, but somehow he always found me." She stated in horror, her eyes brimming with tears that threatened to spill over.

"It went on for a few months. I was scared to tell anyone, because he would threaten me. I would jump at the silliest things and my heart would race whenever my phone went off. It was like living in prison. And then came November 19th." She continued, taking a deep breath. I adjusted my position to put my arms around her, taking her hand in amine and squeezing it in reassurance.

"I was walking home from the hospital; I've never lived far from where I work. It's useful so I can get there quickly without an absolute trek.

"Anyway, there were footsteps behind me and they didn't match mine, and I turned round to see this guy walking behind me. I couldn't see his face because it was so dark and he has his hood up and it crept me out, so naturally I walked faster. And so did he. So I began to run slightly and so did he. I started to full out run, and so did he."

I swallowed, catching a glimpse in my mind as where this could be going. I looked over to Arizona and she had her eyes screwed shut, as though having a nightmare.

"He caught up to me. It didn't take him long. The first thing that came to my head was to kick him in the balls so I did. It just made him angrier and didn't really work. He grabbed my hair and shoved me into the wall. He put his face right up to mine and said ' _It's nice to see you face to face._ ' And I just _knew_ it was him." Her voice was shaking now, and she had brought her knees up to her chest and was hugging herself as if to keep herself together.

"He just kept hitting me. He broke my jaw. And then he moved to my pants, unbuttoning them. I remember him threatening to break my wrist if I didn't act like I liked it. I screamed. He stamped on my wrist and broke it." She was positively sobbing now, shaking in my arms. "And then there were voices. Lights. And people. I heard the sound of a car door slamming and I could barely make out the noise of people shouting- it was all so blurry, and disjointed, this might not even be what happened.

"The next thing I remember was being in an ambulance, and everybody was trying to wake me up. I remember being in so much pain. I broke my ankle, my jaw and my wrist. I'd hit my head so hard of the ground that it turned out I had a brain bleed. And they had to operate on my abdomen because of the internal bleeding where he'd kicked me so hard, the bastard."

And that was as much as she was saying then. She broke down in tears in my arms and I was shocked at how quickly this had all come about.

"So, did they catch the guy, or…?" I asked apprehensively. The thought of this person alone sent cold fear and rage coursing through my body, each emotion battling against each other.

"They did. The people who showed up beat the crap out of him and didn't get charged. We went to court and he got jailed for fifteen years because attempted rape was just as bad as rape in the judge's eye."

"So, Emma was my girlfriend at the time it happened. And she was amazing with me, but I think after two years she was getting annoyed when I couldn't even have sex. She ended up yelling at me that he didn't even rape me, and that is was only a bunch of stupid texts, and that I had no right to be this upset by it. And she left. Just like that."

"Wow, what a bitch." I said blankly earning a slight chuckle from Arizona.

"It made me feel horrible and hate myself for being so affected by it. I got lucky, if that car hadn't come when it did then I don't even what to think…" She trailed off, shaking her head as if to wipe it from her brain. "But I always understood rape as a sexual thing, and it is, but it isn't. It's complete and utter control. In that moment, no matter how hard I fought or how loud I screamed, he had complete control- I was powerless and that thought haunts me every day."

"If those people hadn't shown up…" I trailed off, my own voice thick with tears.

"I really like you, Calliope. And I'm just going to be blunt and say that I know that we're going somewhere. But you must be patient. I can't even think about doing… stuff and I get very emotional very occasionally. So, you need to understand that. I get jumpy when there are loud noises and I can barely look at my texts anymore. And I have nightmares. If it's not about that, it's about tiny coffins with tiny humans that I didn't' save. I have a lot of baggage."

"Before you came I'd set myself up to believe that I was never going to date again. Never have a life, never stop being gossiped about. But then you came along and it was all wiped from my head. My own mother practically disowned me and I get worked up about that a lot- and I speak Spanish when I get angry, which is quite easily nowadays. So yeah, I come with a lot of baggage too." I told her, wiping the tears from her face and taking her further into my arms, squeezing her tightly, never ready to let her go.

"We're pretty messed up, huh?"

"Yeah. But we're messed up together."

 **Hey guys, so you might be confused with this. I could have made it that Arizona did get raped, but that's not the point that I wanted to make. I wanted to get my understanding of rape forward and here it is. This storyline just popped up in my head and it wasn't budging.**


	5. Chapter 5

Arizona's POV

"So you told her?"

"I told her."

"And…?"

I continued working around the kitchen, attending to the boxes that I'd neglected for so long and were now beginning to gather dust. Half of the stuff I don't even remember owning let alone packing, because never in a million years would I have bought an ice cream maker. As I sorted through it all I made piles of what was staying and what was going- the one downside to having people help you pack, you don't know what got thrown out and what didn't.

"Well she didn't leave. She comforted me, and she's the only one apart from you who doesn't look at me like I'm about to break." I told Teddy, who was in the hospital which was apparently having one of their rare quiet days. No one dared say it out loud though because whenever someone said the word 'quiet' out loud, all Hell broke loose- and I was talking from experience.

"I'm just glad that there's someone else who knows, so that you're not keeping it all inside all of the time." Teddy sighed and from the other end of the line I heard the sharp and familiar beeping of a pager going off. "I gotta go. I'll talk later though." She promised and I sighed. Guess there was no reason to hold back in unpacking.

"Page me for something. I'm unpacking and it's literally the most boring thing I've ever done." I complained and I heard her laugh before hanging up. I sighed as I lay the phone back down and glared at the apartment. "Who ever said moving was a good idea?" I mumbled to myself as I proceeded in trying to rip all of the tape off of a box labelled 'cutlery'. For most people, this box would've been one of the first to be unpacked, considering cutlery was needed to eat, but I hardly even ate here. I'd been here for three months and I'd already had my fair share of crappy cafeteria food.

The packing process didn't last long. I soon found myself procrastinating with different things that I found in the boxes and I soon deemed the task as undoable. If my mother were here this would have all been done by now but I'm afraid that wasn't the case.

Just as I was moving boxes into the side of the hallways to clear a way to walk through the apartment without nearly dying, my phone went off with the familiar 'bing' that I had specialised for Callie's number. I smiled as I heard it and immediately dropped the box I was holding; cringing slightly when I heard an unfriendly, dull _smash_ from it.

 _Hey pretty lady. Just got off work and Teddy said you were 'going crazy'. You up for a visit?- C_

I smiled down at my phone, feeling like a lovesick teenager. I typed a quick reply:

 _Hey beautiful, I sure am, just let yourself in. – A_

Calliope had been over a number of times since our dinner at hers, and every time I saw her I just fell more in love. We both agreed that we liked dates where we could talk more and get to know each other- hence we hung around our apartments or in one of our offices most of the time. We'd gotten to the stage in our relationship where we were pretty comfortable, since it'd been about two months since our first date.

Finally giving up on any hope of making a further dent in the unpacking, I focused my attention instead on making lunch. I figured that if Callie had just finished then she wouldn't have had a chance to eat yet and I was starving from the effort of procrastinating. I turned the music up on the TV and let myself relax and dance, not noticing when the door opened and a familiar Latina entered the apartment.

"Nice moves." I heard a voice from behind me say, and I whipped around to see Callie standing against the doorframe wearing an amused expression. I stopped my dancing immediately and set down the knife. "You look like a psycho, by the way. Dancing around with a knife. And very unsafe." She commented, walking over to me and pulling me by the waist into a soft kiss.

"Well you better still love me if I have to be admitted." I said before I realised my mistake. While slapping myself mentally for slipping up and saying such a stupid thing when we'd only been dating for a month, I studied her face closely and saw no sign of a difference in her expression.

"Depends on how you crack." She said, kissing me quickly again before walking over to the kitchen and starting to dance. She moved her hips to the music and sang along gently, making my head go fuzzy and my face bright red.

"Damn you Latinas…" I cursed before joining her. It didn't take long to finish lunch and when we did we decided to head out, maybe just for a walk or something. Callie wrapped her arm around me as we walked through the park, me shivering against the cold winds.

"So, it's Christmas soon…" Callie began and I frowned.

"It's October." I said, laughing.

"It's December soon… ish." She replied and I stopped for a minute.

"Okay..."

"So it's Christmas soon… And I know it's only been two months…. But it'll be four by then…But I'd love to be able to call you my girlfriend for Christmas." She said and I felt a smile break out on my face.

"Just for Christmas?" I asked laughing and she raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, it's kind of a one month thing. You can read about it in the terms and conditions." She replied making me laugh more.

"Well it sounds like a good one month plan. I'm in." I said, before looking up to see my apartment building coming back in to sight In the dull winter light it looked downright boring and empty and it made me sigh.

A month passed quicker than I ever thought it could and before I knew it, it was nearly Christmas. It tended to be a thing that I neglected for a while, but when it got close I was like a five year old. There was just something about Christmas that made me smile, because it was such a peaceful time, where families met up and people made friends. Cheesy, I know, but watching _It's a Wonderful Life_ too many times and working on a peds ward where Christmas meant magic made it hard not to be infected by Christmas Spirit.

I smiled as I walked into the peds ward one morning, laughing as I saw two kids pretending to be snowmen in the hall. I could hear laughter coming from a few of the rooms and there was music playing somewhere. Out of the many surgeons, doctors and nurses in the whole hospital, nobody could deny that the peds ward was the best ward at Christmas. But it was also the toughest. We always wanted to send every kid home for Christmas, or to cure their sicknesses, but sometimes we couldn't do it and it wasn't a great Christmas when it was spent in the hospital.

So, every day I put on my best smile and exaggerated the magic of Christmas. I had a team of multiple staff members who dressed up as Christmas characters and I would really overdo things because that's what made them happy.

"Dr Robbins!" Eleven year old Allyssa exclaimed as I walked in to her room. I smiled to see her with her friend Abigail from down the hall. The two of them had met a few weeks ago and had been inseparable ever since.

"How are we all doing today?" I asked.

"We're doing some Christmas colouring and discussing boyfriends." Allyssa's mother, Elaine informed me as I began a quick check over on Allyssa apart from a chesty cough and her circulation not being as good as I'd hoped she seemed perfectly fine and full of Christmas Spirit.

"Oooh, whose boyfriend?" I asked, takin a seat at the end of Allyssa's bed.

"Mine and he's not my boyfriend. We're just friends." Abigail piped up and that made me laugh.

"Just friends, huh? That's why you blush when you see him." Allyssa commented and Abigail just blushed.

"Oh, well boys are just smelly anyway. I wouldn't waste your time." I recommended as I raised my eyebrows.

"Do you have a boyfriend Dr Robbins?" Abigail asked innocently and I contemplated whether to answer that.

"Yeah, do you?" Allyssa added.

"What did we say about personal questions, girls?" Elaine said and I shook my head to shake it off.

"No, that's a valid question. I don't have a boyfriend, but I have a girlfriend." I answered and I felt myself smile as I said it. Every time that I remembered that Callie was my girlfriend I just got this big smile and I felt fuzzy inside.

"Oh. My sister has a girlfriend. Her name's Sarah." Allyssa said and I nodded.

"Well that's enough talk about boyfriends and girlfriends. Everything looks good here so I'm going to leave." I announced before walking out. Through the day it wasn't very busy, all though there were plenty of ER visits to keep me busy. At this time of year, since it rained non-stop in Seattle, along with Christmas came the unwelcome gift of ice. Plenty of children who played in the snow had slipped and broken bones, or thrown snow that had stones in it.

"Hello beautiful." Callie said to me when we ran in to each other as I was heading out of the ER. She grabbed me my lab coat and kissed me passionately, and we were lost in a bubble until there was a loud throat clearing just inches away, and we both jumped apart, blushing furiously, to see Teddy standing there with her eyebrows raised.

"I swear I'm actually going to have to buy superglue remover one of these days." She sighed exasperatedly, shaking her head and laughing.

"Sorry Teds." I apologised, pulling away from Callie to give her a hug. "So what's up?"

"Well for one, you're going to stop calling me Teds, and two, I need a consult." She said and I turned to Callie.

"I'll see you tonight?"

"Of course." She said, giving me a quick kiss before Teddy and I set off.

"You guys are like a pair of teenagers, you know?" She said as we walked down the hall.

"What can I say? I love her." I smiled before stopping dead in my tracks. "Oh my God, I love her." I repeated, my heart starting to beat faster.

"You love her?" Teddy asked with a wide smile.

"I love her."

"Finally, she realises!" Teddy exclaimed, raising her hands above her head.

"You knew?" I asked with a frown.

"Oh please, everybody knew. You guys were miserable before you met each other. I haven't seen you smile so much in ages."

"I'm going to tell her tonight." I said defiantly before setting off, mentally planning in my head how I would say it.

For the rest of the day all I could think about was Calliope. Now that I'd realised I loved her, I couldn't stop thinking about us. About our future. And I know we'd only been dating for two months, but I just knew. She was my one.

"Arizooonaaa?" I heard Callie's voice call out into my apartment later that night. I practically ran through my elaborately decorated apartment to reach her. Since we decided to spend Christmas at my place, we'd both put all of our decorating efforts into making the apartment look like Christmas throw up.

"Calliope!" I exclaimed excitedly, dancing into her arms and giving her a big kiss.

"Well you're extra cheerful tonight." She said with a smile, setting her stuff down on the table.

"Do you have an objection?"

"Not at all. I brought Chinese." She said, holding up the bag branded 'Lord of the Noodles'.

"You're a lifesaver. I've not had Chinese in ages."

"But we had it last week!"

"That's ages!"

"You're such a goof." She said, kissing me.

"Shut up."

The rest of the night went quickly, and eventually we wound up cuddling on the couch, some really bad Christmas rom-com playing on the TV. I looked up from where I was wrapped under her arm and smiled.

"I love you." I blurted, my heart starting to beat faster. What if she didn't love me back? What if she freaked out and ran?

She looked down at me with a soft expression, and I sat up to face her.

"You do?" She asked softly, taking my hand in hers.

"I do." I nodded, looking her straight in the eye and smiling.

It was silent for a moment, before finally, "I love you too."

"Stay with me tonight?" I asked and she frowned. "Not like that, but just to lay with me. I want to wake up to you I the morning."

"Of course I will." She agreed, kissing my forehead. "Come on." She said, holding her hand out for me. I took it gladly and let her lead me through to the bedroom. We quickly got into our pyjamas, Callie borrowing a pair of mine, not caring about changing in front of each other. It seemed almost natural as we slipped into bed and Callie wrapped her arms around me from behind, placing a kiss on my head, then on my shoulder. I smiled.

"I love you." She said.

"I love you too."


	6. Chapter 6

The First time Ever chapter six

CALLIE'S POV

"They are going to HATE me!"

"They are going to LOVE you!" Arizona contradicted with a smile as we walked through the busy airport. Today, December 23rd, was the day I was meeting her parents, and I was freaking out. I'd never done this before. Well, I had with George, but his mom was so nice I figured I just got lucky. And, as I've learned very well, luck runs out. The prospect of meeting Arizona's parents, the people who raised this amazing human being, was positively frightening. My nerves were all jacked up and Arizona had been trying to calm down.

"Just be yourself. I love you, so they'll love you. Just relax, okay?" She said calmly, but with a smirk. Normally, I was a bad-ass who didn't give a crap about what anyone thought of me. However, when it was my girlfriend's parents' opinion, it was kind of a big deal.

"I am calm. You calm down." I laughed. She was surprisingly calm, and I had no idea how she was doing it.

"Arizona!" A voice called from behind us and we both whirled to see the famous Barbara and Daniel Robbins. Arizona practically launched herself into her mother's arms, before hugging her father tightly.

"Mom! Dad! How was your flight?" She exclaimed in excitement, and it put a smile on my face to see how happy she was.

"Oh, it was fine. Your dad fell asleep, you know how he is." Barbara replied, before glancing over Arizona's shoulder to where I was standing awkwardly, just watching the whole scene. "So, do you have any plans to introduce us to this lovely lady standing behind you?"

"Oh, right!" Arizona exclaimed, her eyes going wide as if she'd forgotten my presence completely. She turned to me with a mega-watt smile. "Mom, dad, this is my absolutely amazingly perfect girlfriend Calliope!" She announced, waving her arms dramatically at me as if I were a game show prize.

"It's amazing to meet you guys." I said politely, holding out my hand. Barbara, however, brushed it aside and pulled me into a bone crushing hug.

"Anyone who makes our daughter so happy gets a hug." She said with a smile. I smiled at the colonel and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you sir." I greeted. He was very tall and he wasn't smiling, which was intimidating, but he had a round, kind face. He gave me a small smile which gave me a peace of mind.

The car journey home consisted mainly of Arizona catching up with her parents. I didn't mind though, I was happy that she was so happy. Although she loved Seattle as she'd told me many times, it was obvious that she missed her parents like crazy.

"So you're a surgeon too?" Barbara asked me as we prepped dinner that night. As soon as Arizona had told Daniel about the broken faucet in the bathroom he insisted on taking a look at it, leaving Barbara and I alone to make the dinner.

"Yeah, orthopaedic. Bones." I added when she looked confused.

"I have no idea how you guys do it. The amount of night shifts Arizona had to pull was crazy, and I'm gonna assume it's the same here. I mean, I like to sleep. I get moody if I'm tired. But she was always able to work for hours on end without getting tired." She said in admiration, and I shrugged nonchalantly.

"I like to sleep to. But I guess when you're saving someone's life, you forget about being tired. Because there's someone parent, someone's child, someone's spouse on that table and they need your help." I concluded. She was right, being a surgeon was hard, but it was worth it.

"So…" She trailed off, glancing behind her shoulder to make sure there wasn't any sign of Arizona or Daniel. "I'm going to assume that you know about…?"

I sighed, leaning forward slightly. "Yeah. She told me all about it."

"So, she talked to you about it?"

"Yeah."

"Oh thank goodness." Barbara sighed, and wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek. "I was so worried about her. She refused to talk about it to anybody. When she told us she was moving across the country I wanted to stop her- but she's an adult and I can't tell her what to do any more."

I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. It angered me to see what an effect this had had on Arizona and her family. Before, I don't think I realised how it could affect people so much. But as I watched a mother cry with worry over her daughter I realised the impact that this had had on all of their lives.

"I'm so glad she found you, Callie. And I know I've only known you for a matter of hours, but I haven't seen her happy in over two years." She admitted and it warmed my heart. To know that I was playing a part in helping Arizona move past this was something that made me proud, of me and her.

"I'll leave the whole scary 'if you hurt my daughter' bit to Daniel. I trust you." She told me, and then smiled. "And anyway, he's scarier than I am." She added and we both laughed, just as a soaking wet Arizona stalked in followed by Daniel who was wearing a satisfied look on his face.

"So, did you fix it?" Barbara asked and Arizona rolled her eyes, pulling at the edges of her now dripping t-shirt.

"You could say that." She mumbled, coming over to give me a hug but I immediately retreated.

"Um, you're all wet!" I exclaimed and she paused, a thoughtful smirk appearing on her face. She bit her lip and started coming closer to me, holding out her arms. I kept retreating until I eventually backed right into the counter. I tried to escape, but I was too late as she wrapped her arms around me, getting me all wet in the process.

"Aw, don't you love me?" She asked in a sing song voice as sweet as a child's.

"Love is a strong word…" I said through my laughter. She raised her hand to her heart and feigned hurt.

"Take that back!" She gasped, picking up the sprayer we used to wash the dishes, and I immediately froze.

"You wouldn't."

"I would." She replied with an evil smirk as she sprayed it right in my face. A chorus of laughter came from all of us as I tried to escape. I turned the tap on at the sink and started flicking water at her, but I could tell she was winning. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Barbara and Daniel quickly retreat so as to not get wet. I couldn't contain my laughter as I desperately ducked behind the island to avoid the attack.

"Your entire fault!" Arizona laughed at me ten minutes later. Daniel and Barbara had finally stopped us and ordered us to go clean ourselves up. Our ever so cliché moment was accompanied by our onslaught of uncontrollable giggles, as if we were teenage girls. I found myself praying that this night would never end.

When we emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later we were met by Barb and Daniel, both wearing strict expressions, their arms folded and their feet tapping in unison.

"Sorry." Arizona and I both mumbled, as if we were guilty children caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"You guys can clean it up." Was all Barbara said as she hugged us both goodnight and made her way through to the guest room, closely followed by Daniel who gave us both a high five as he walked past.

I was woken up in the middle of the night. The source of the jabbing in my side was unclear until I switched on the lamp, and saw Arizona tossing and turning beside me. Her face broke my heart; she looked so scared, so small and vulnerable.

"Arizona, sweetie, come on, wake up, it's not real…"

"No, please stop, please don't…"

"Arizona!" I repeated more firmly, yet gently. It was then that were eyes snapped open and she looked wildly around the room, her breathing erratic and a sheen of sweat covering her whole body. I took her hand in mine and pressed it to my face and squeezed it, which turned her focus on to me. As her eyes focused and she registered who was in the room with her she visibly relaxed, although burst into tears.

"Oh sweetie, you're okay. Just look at me. You're safe here."

"I'm sorry!" She sobbed, clinging onto me for dear life. I held her close to me and whispered soft words of comfort.

"It's okay. Just relax, go back to sleep. I'll keep you safe, I promise."

Once she had fallen back to sleep and showed no signs of reawakening, I slipped carefully out of the bed and padded softly through to the kitchen. I was surprised to see Barbara sitting there, clutching a steaming cup of hot chocolate. During the whole drama I must have not heard her. I sighed and made my way over to her, glancing at the clock on the cooker which read 2:07am.

"She still has nightmares?" She asked.

"Barely. We've been dating for four months now and I've only every witnessed one. And we spend a lot of time together."

"So she's getting better."

"Yeah. She's being so strong."

"Wake up, Calliope!" Was the first thing I heard as a pillow was smacked over my face. Today marked December 25th, which meant Christmas. Arizona, ever so child-like, was of course the first one up. I groaned when I glanced at the clock and saw it was 6:30am.

"It's only half six!"

"What can I say, I'm a military brat. Now come on!"

"Five more minutes…" I insisted, burying my head back in the pillow.

"There are presents. And coffee!"

"Ooh, coffee. I'm up!" I immediately perked up at the thought of a caffeinated drink, and just like that I was able to drag myself from the bedroom. I took Arizona's hand in mine as we made our way through to the living room to find Barbara and Daniel emerging from the guest room, both looking as awake as Arizona. "Morning people everywhere…" I grumbled as I immediately made my way to the coffee machine and pressed start.

"Merry Christmas mom! Merry Christmas dad!" She exclaimed, hugging them both tightly. It amazed me sometimes how she could have so much energy so early in the morning.

After a serving of Barbara's amazing pancakes, we moved on to presents. Plenty of laughs were shared over unwrapping and it was a real family affair. It was such a nice scene, just sitting here with Arizona on Christmas made me so happy.

"I got us both one." Arizona said as I unwrapped my final present from her. The wrapping fell away to reveal a baby blue box with a white bow, a swirly 'T' written on top of it.

"You didn't…" I trailed off. "This is Tiffany's, Arizona!"

"Duh, I know that." She said. "Now open it!"

I slowly opened it up and gasped when I saw a beautiful heart-shaped locket. Tears filled my eyes as I lifted it lightly with my fingers, being careful not to break the delicate silver chain.

"Let me put it on you." Arizona told me and I handed it to her. She moved my hair away and secured it around my neck. I then did the same for her. We leaned in to kiss each other softly, smiling through the kiss.

"Thank you for not running." She whispered to me softly, taking my hand in hers and resuming her position on the rug.

The rest of the day ran smoothly. We played games and chatted all morning before heading round to Meredith's house for Christmas dinner. They always held Christmas at their house and it was an open invitation. Nearly everybody at the hospital showed up and it was great to be surrounded by all of my friends.

"Torres! I see jewelry. That means seriousness." Mark said as he walked over to me, holding the hand of Lexie Grey.

"It is serious. I love her, Mark." I said softly and his eyes went wide.

"Scary words. But how are her parents? Are they horrible? Complete scary psycho people?" He asked, gesturing over to where Arizona was standing with the chief and her parents. Lexie gasped and smacked his arm, all while laughing.

I rolled my eyes at his antics. "Actually, they're amazing people. I mean, I think they like me. Her mom said she's glad I make Arizona happy."

"Jeez, Torres…" Mark let out a low whistle. I hadn't told him anything about Arizona's past, but in the typical best friend role I had a suspicion he had figured it out.

The rest of the night was filled with socializing and laughing. My hand never left Arizona's for the entire night.

"I love you." I whispered as we climbed into bed that night. It was a seldom occasion where I'd spend the night at my apartment now.

"Calliope?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for not running." She said, and I could hear the tears through her voice. I tightened my hold around her and buried my face in her neck, inhaling her sweet vanilla scent.

"I'm not going to run, and you don't have to thank me for that. I love you."


	7. Chapter 7

The First time Ever chapter seven

 **Hey guys, sorry for the delay in update! Also, sorry for the confusion over the chapters. I accidentally posted the chapter from my Wattpad story, That Smile (which in a moment of shameless self-promotion I suggest you go and check out). But anyway, here's the next chapter of the right story this time!**

ARIZONA'S POV

"Remind me again why we don't just move to LA? Everything's so much more peaceful here." I asked Callie as we sat on the balcony of our hotel room, watching the tide come in. To say that LA was a major weather contrast to Seattle was the understatement of the year. Even though it was February, LA was still sunny every day, unlike Seattle where it was perpetually rainy.

After all of the craziness that the last few months at the hospital had brought us, Callie and I had decided it was time for a well-deserved few days off. It was the first getaway we'd taken together and I was above excited. The thought of Callie and me alone in a luxurious hotel room in one of my happy places for four days straight was my idea of heaven.

"Because despite the everlasting rain, we actually love it." Callie reminded me and I nodded in agreement. Although I loved the sun, here was something beautiful about the rain, even if it never stopped. I had quickly settled down in Seattle and I could safely say to myself that this was where I was settling down. Had it not been for Callie I might have not been so quick on that decision, but nothing made sense without her. I was happier in Seattle and at this point in my life than I had been in a long time. I turned to Callie with a smile.

"This is so nice." I said, gesturing to our surroundings. "But I love Seattle. And I love you." I said and leaned in for a kiss. We got caught up in the kiss for a few minutes before we broke apart and continued smiling at each other. "I'm hungry." I eventually stated, sitting up and pulling her up with me.

"So what're you gonna do about it?" Callie laughed. I gave her a mock glare before I stood up and headed back into our room and flopped down onto the bed. I took her by the hand and dragged her down with me, and she ended up falling on top of me not so gracefully and we both dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"Calliopeee!" I laughed as I wiggled out from under her while she just lay there laughing. I flipped over quickly to straddle her, leaning down and drawing her in for a hot, passionate kiss that took both of our breaths away.

As I continued my chain of kisses over her neck and collarbone I quickly realised where this was going. All of our previous attempts to light the spark in our sex life had failed. Before tonight I just wasn't ready and I would freeze whenever thing got too heated.

However, as I looked down on her and she smiled up at me, I reminded myself of how much I loved her. And just like that, something in the very back of my head clicked and I smiled widely. _I love her and she loves me. I trust her and she trusts me. There's no danger here. Just love._

"Are you sure?" Was all Callie asked as I made quick work of pulling my t-shirt up over my head, breaking our kiss for less than a millisecond as I did so. I leaned in close and continued working my hands lower down her body. I looked her straight in the eye.

"One hundred percent. I love you." I breathed firmly.

We spent the rest of the night make sweet love to each other, more than happy to finally connect on that final level.

It was the sun beams that filtered slowly through the half-open curtains that awoke me the next day. I came back into consciousness wearing a smile as the events of last night came flooding back to me.

As my eyes adjusted to the light I turned my head round to see a beautiful sight. A sleeping, and very naked might I add, Callie was snoring lightly next to me, he left corner of her mouth curled up in a soft smile. I took a minute to take in her sheer beauty, thanking God over and over again that this amazing person was mine. Many emotions were coursing through my body right now. Happiness, peace, and pride. I was so happy that we had finally been able to take this step, and I was proud of myself for being able to leave the past behind. The struggles of the past two years dimmed significantly compared to the events of the last twenty four hours and I was more than glad to have one so long without thinking about that night.

After a few minutes of unsuccessfully trying to let myself fall back into a peaceful slumber I eventually resigned myself to being awake. I decided instead to start on breakfast for Callie waking up. Due to us both being surgeons, and pretty great ones might I add, we were able to comfortably book a few nights in the luxury rooms. If you could even call it a room. It had a living area with a conjoined kitchen and a separate master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom along with a separate bathroom opposite. The balcony had enough room for a large hot tub and to deck chairs where Callie spent our nights lounging and talking.

It didn't take me long to get breakfast well underway. I decided to go with blueberry pancakes, since they were about the only thing I knew how to make without burning them. The hotel had kindly provided us with some breakfast food, and yesterday, our second day here, we had gone out to buy what we needed for our favourite meals.

"Hmm, smells great in here." Callie complemented as she exited the bedroom. Her hair was all messy and she had her tired morning voice which I found so completely sexy. I smiled and leaned in to give her a soft kiss.

"Blueberry pancakes are my specialty." I laughed.

"Modest." Callie commented as she stole a few blueberries from the packet before I could wave her hand away. The coffee pot sprang into action when Callie pressed the start button and started helped me mix batter.

"I could totally get used to this every morning." I said casually before my brain stopped in its tracks. We that was major word vomit, wasn't it? But it was true. I could totally get used to having Callie wake up to me every morning and helping me make breakfast every day for the rest of our lives.

"So could I. It's a shame we have to leave tomorrow. I love our jobs but they're so hectic." She said after a second and my heart sank because she ignored the meaning behind that comment. Either that or she was freaking out just as much as I was.

"Teddy!" I hissed into the phone about an hour later as Callie was getting ready for our day out. We had decided that instead of just lazing around like we had done on the previous days, we would go out and go shopping or something.

"Arizona!" She whispered back in the same tone.

"I think I'm going to ask Callie to move in with me." I revealed. I had come to this decision when we were eating breakfast and I realised how natural it felt. Although I spent most of my time at Callie's apartment anyway because it was so close to the hospital, this was different. This was much bigger than the drawer that she had cleared out for me last month.

"Arizona! Are you sure?" Teddy asked me.

Although I was freaking out on many different levels, I knew I was completely sure. Callie and I's relationship was growing stronger every single day, and I knew we were in a place where we were ready for this. We were both on the exact same page about everything in our future. Marriage, kids, and even pet chickens were something we both knew we saw in our lives at some point. I wasn't an expert on relationships so I didn't know if six months was long enough to wait, but I did know that I loved her. So why put it off?

"I'm sure. We had sex last night." I told her.

"Go you!" She cheered. "I'm proud of you. I expect a full report when you get home. And I totally support your decision, by the way. You better not move too far away, Robbins!"

Returning to Seattle was bittersweet. It was bitter to leave the Heaven that was LA and the cocoon that Callie and I had been wrapped in for the last four days, but it was great to be back at work again. Even four days of doing nothing was enough to drive a surgeon crazy. We were used to 3am pages and 24 hour shifts, not lazing around all day and waking up late, as magical as it had been.

"Blondie! I hear you and Torres are shacking up?" Mark called as he entered the paediatric ward that afternoon. I had paged him to consult on sixteen year old Bobby Taylor who had sustained third degree burns to her left arms in a house fire.

"That would be right!" I confirmed with a wide grin. Callie had accepted my offer with a wide smile and an excited dance when I asked her if we could find our own apartment. I was more than excited about this big step.

"I owe Altman ten dollars. She was adamant that you'd ask before six months was up. I thought maybe seven or eight."

"Oh, so you're betting on our relationship?" I laughed with raised eyebrows.

"Of course not! Just, you know, don't propose for another eight months. Just an opinion." He said before walking briskly into Bobby's room. I laughed as I watched him go. After I got over the fact that had had seen my girlfriend naked I actually came to realise that he was a pretty decent guy, and he was a great best friend to Callie.

The day passed relatively quickly. I successfully caught up on all of the new updates that had been made over the last four days and I had performed three surgeries. I had arrived here at 7am this morning and it was just approaching 8pm when I felt a sharp tap on my shoulder from behind.

"Excuse me, are you Doctor Arizona Robbins?" A voice asked and I turned around to be faced with an older man who spoke with a distinct Spanish accent. His expression was impassive and combined with his pristine black suit it made him look rather intimidating. I immediately straightened up.

"Yes sir, that would be me." I introduced myself and extended my hand to him. He didn't shake it but continued to stare me down. "Sir? Can I help you?" I asked uncertainly when he said nothing further.

"I'm Carlos Torres. And you must be the woman who's dating my daughter."


	8. Chapter 8

The First Time Ever chapter eight

 **Hi guys! I'm not so sure about this chapter. It was hard to write but I think I did okay. It's also short, and I'm sorry, but it needed to be if this is how I wanted to end it. So please enjoy!**

CALLIE'S POV (a few hours ago)

"Heeeeey Caaaaalliiiiieee?" Arizona dragged her words as she came up behind me at the nurse's station I was signing charts at. I smiled when I recognised her voice before I turned around to see her smiling up at me.

"Yeeees?"

"There's an on call room right over there…"

To say that Arizona and I's sex life had been healthy was an understatement. Apparently all of the built up tension from the past seven months made for some really great, um, activities.

"Who wants to guess what Callie has just been up to?" Addison asked sarcastically as I sat down at the lunch table in the cafeteria an hour later, a smile on my face and spring in my step.

"She's humming. Callie Torres does not _hum_." Mark observed. I raised my eyebrows in amusement.

"Callie Torres is right here and Callie Torres can hear you." I said to him and he rolled his eyes.

"We know. But at least make it less obvious when you've just had sex. We don't all need to know." Addison said, twirling her salad around on her fork.

"Unless you wanna share the details, then by all means go ahead." Mark said with a sly grin and I hit him round the back of the head.

"You're disgusting. And is it not reassuring to know that I have a healthy sex life?"

"Fabulous." Addison nodded sarcastically. "Just keep it to yourself."

To be a doctor was to be perpetually busy. It was an unwritten rule that no matter how quiet your pager remained, there was always something or someone in the busy halls of the hospital that needed your attention. I didn't mind it though- being a doctor had given me the ability to focus on one task at a time, and perform that task well because there were no other stray thoughts cavorting around my brain demanding attention.

"And finally, I'll take the opposite end of the nerve and join it to your patella- your kneecap." I concluded my run down of the ACL reconstruction I was performing on 25 year old soccer player Thomas Wishart. It was very rarely that patients didn't want to know what their surgery would consist of, and I knew that to be because knowing what was going to happen gave them a peace of mind- it made all of the things they didn't know less scary.

The usual hustle and bustle of the hospital seemed indifferent to me as I made my way through the day. The soft beeping of the heart monitors that terrified some people was a sound that my ears were accustomed to. There was nothing happening so far today, in my opinion, to suggest that anything out of the ordinary was going to happen.

Until Mark came walking over to me with a strained smile on his face.

"You look constipated. Spit it out." I said, looking up at him in amusement.

"Promise you won't freak out? Psycho Torres is the last thing we need."

I frowned, immediately dropping the chart I was filling in. My mind immediately jumped to Arizona. Surely there was nothing wrong with her. "Telling me not to freak out improves the chances of me freaking out by about 70 times, you know that. What's going on?"

"So I was just casually flirting with Nurse Heather from radiology…"

"Pick up the pace, Sloan."

"I may or may not have seen a man who very closely resembles your father heading in the direction of the peds ward." He said quickly, making my eyebrows raise in shock and my thoughts stop dead in their tracks. "Promise not to go psycho bitch!" He called after me as I shoved past him and made my way towards the peds ward, hoping that I may run into my father before Arizona did. I loved my father, I truly did, but he was an intimidating and headstrong man who could easily scare the crap out of my beautiful girlfriend. Also, up until now, apparently, my father had no idea that I had a girlfriend- or that I was dating women- so whatever he heard was not from me and I knew my life was on the line for keeping something like this from him.

The other contributing factor to my disarray at Mark's information was that I was raised in a strictly conservative, highly Catholic home. Although the subject of women dating women and men dating men rarely came up in our household, I would never assume that my father would take it well- especially without warning.

I sighed in resignation, however, as I burst through the double doors of the entrance to Arizona's department only to see her smiling politely at my dad, who was staring her up and down, a stoic expression on his face.

"Daddy! What're you doing here?" I asked in shock as I embraced my father in a tight hug, shooting a questioning look at Arizona over his shoulder. However all she could supply to my wondering was a smile shrug and an indifferent expression.

"I came to see you of course, _hija_. However I was curious to meet this Arizona Robbins person who you've been dating."

"Okay, well, just try not to burn a hole through her head with that look." I warned him, turning to face Arizona who lifted up a chart carefully.

"Not to be unbearably rude or anything, but I actually have a surgery scheduled in five minutes, so I have to run. But I'll see you later?" She asked me, giving me a light peck on the cheek while my father watched on.

"Sure. Be a rock star!" I called after her, watching with a smile as she rounded the corner before turning back to my father.

"What're you doing here?"

"You're dating women now."

"Not just any women. The most amazing woman."

"And you never cared enough to call?"

"You think it was easy? But how am I supposed to call you and say, 'hey, by the way, I'm dating women now!'"

I quickly realised that in the middle of the paediatric ward was not a sensible place to be having this conversation, so without a further word and gestured for my dad to follow me as I went off with the intention of finding an empty conference room. Once I had located one, just around the corner from the exit of the peds department, I walked in and shut the door firmly, turning to face my father with a 'well then?' expression.

"I want you to come home, Calliope." He said in a strict, commanding tone that I heard him use several times as a child, normally when I was being punished. What confused me this time, however, was that I had done nothing to be punished for.

"Why?" I asked in bewilderment. Although it was true that I missed Miami with the sandy beaches and the beautiful sunshine, I loved Seattle every bit as much. I had found friends here, a family. I had found Arizona here and I was happier than I had ever been.

"You used to call me every Sunday and you'd tell me everything. You haven't called in two weeks and you never once mentioned this woman. Clearly, I have not been making sure that your best interests have been met. This… Lifestyle is not what is best for you."

That sparked anger in my chest. "How would you know what's best for me? You've seen nothing of my life here! You haven't even seen how happy I am here!" I exclaimed, trying my best to keep from shouting. Shouting, I knew, would only make this situation worse.

"I've seen enough. This… Woman is not what's best for you. You've somehow got it into you head that this okay, that this is natural, and you need to get away from it." He said, slowly and evenly.

"Oh, so it's about the 'dating women' thing. What's so wrong with that? Is it that I'm in love? Or is it that I'm unbelievably happy?" I spat, my heart sinking into my stomach. My father was a hard man to argue with, but I was going to try like hell.

"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." He recited and I rolled my eyes. The amount of time I had heard someone play the Leviticus card was more than I could keep count of.

"We're turning to Leviticus now? You know as well as I do that if we followed everything that was written in Leviticus then half of us would be in prison!" I exclaimed in exasperation.

"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." He continued to rattle of Bible verse after Bible verse, but he didn't know that I could just as easily play the very same game.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

"Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral."

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you!"

"If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

I took a step back and let what my father had just repeated to me sink in. 'They are to be put to death'…

"So I should be put to death? Is that what you're saying? That I'm going to Hell for loving someone who is not who you envisioned? Is that really what you want to say to me?" I asked tearfully, the damage of his words sinking in and hitting my heart.

"Calliope, you are my daughter. I only want what's best for you!"

"Telling me that I'm going to Hell is a great way of showing it."

He continued to look at me closely, examining every detail of my face. Looking me straight in the eye, he said slowly: "I want you to come home."

I sighed heavily and wiped my tears with the sleeve of my lab coat. I took a deep breath. "'Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.' That's what you used to tell me, daddy, when people at school gave me a hard time. That's what you told me when my first boyfriend ended it with me. And I don't know what's so wrong with you that you can't see that I'm still the same person who you told that to. I'm happy, daddy, and you need to see that because I'm staying where I am."

I spoke clearly but tearfully, choking back sobs the whole time. As I finished speaking I gave him one last look before turning away from him and walking out of the room.


	9. Chapter 9

The First Time Ever chapter nine

ARIZONA'S POV

It had been four hours since I had last seen Callie. Four whole hours since her father turned up at the hospital, and that had been at eight pm. It was now approaching midnight and Callie had yet to return any of my calls or inform me that she was still alive, and I found myself growing gradually more worried as I watched the clock tick on from my spot on the couch, from which I hadn't moved for almost an hour.

This was so unlike Callie. Normally if anything happened that meant she wouldn't be home on time she would tell me immediately. It was a given that she would return home later due to the unexpected arrival of her father, but it was approaching the four hour mark now and that was more than I had expected.

I checked my phone hopelessly for the millionth time that night, sighing in annoyance yet again when there was no message from Callie. I was beginning to get worried now. I picked up my phone and tried to call her again. It rung five times before I eventually gave up and tossed my phone aside yet again, focusing my eyes yet again on the clock. Normally, I would have gone to the hospital to look for her, or called Mark. However I knew going to the hospital was out of the question because I knew that there was a high chance Carlos Torres was still there, and Mark hadn't seen Callie since he informed her that her father was in the hospital.

Giving up all hope of sitting still, I got to my feet and started pacing anxiously, my eyes glued to the door. I continued this pattern for nearly ten minutes, when finally, a flustered and apparently slightly drunk Calliope Torres burst through the apartment door.

"I know I should have called."

"Yes, you should have."

She dropped her bag to the floor helplessly, leaning on the table for support when she swayed dangerously. "I'm sorry." She said in a voice so small that my resolve immediately melted in to a pile of goo and I walked over to throw my arms around her in a gentle embrace.

"I was just worried about you." I told her, leading her over to the couch. Once we were sat down I wiped her hair from her face and was sad to see that her eyes were puffy and red, clearly from crying. "It didn't go so well, huh?" I said, referring to the situation with her father. Although he hadn't done anything but stare me down before she arrived, I could clearly tell that he wasn't impressed. This suspicion was confirmed as Callie began to rattle off the conversation she had staged with her him, my heart breaking for her the whole time. I found myself thanking my lucky stars that my parents had taken it a lot better when I had come out.

 _I sat on my bed with my left knee bouncing rapidly, my mind racing through eighteen different scenarios that I may have to face after I delivered this news to my parents._

" _You need to calm down, Zona." Tim told me, placing a hand firmly on my jittering knee and lacing his arm around my shoulder in support. He was the only person that I allowed to call me Zona, and that was only after he'd ignored every single one of my protestations and I had given up on trying to stop him._

" _Easy for you to say. It's not you that they'll kick out." I snapped, to which Timothy chuckled and shook his head._

" _If they kick you out, I'll go with you. Team Stardust all the way, right?" He said, making me chuckle. I took a minute to think about the night that Tim and I had hid in the treehouse in the garden of our house in Indiana. We were hiding from our mother, whose favourite green vase we'd broken that day by skateboarding in the house despite her constant reprimands for doing so. I was eight and he ten, and together we dubbed ourselves Team Stardust, it was us against the world, or so it seemed._

" _Right. We'll live in the treehouse if anything goes wrong." I laughed. We remained silent for several minutes, both of us looking back on that day. Suddenly, Tim stood up and looked down at me expectantly._

" _Come on. Now or never." He said, marching out of the room, making me laugh._

 _Ten minutes we had successfully convinced our parents to sit around the kitchen table. By this point I felt as if my stomach was about to burst through my ears. I nervously played with my nails as my parents observed me closely._

" _So, I, um, have something that's been a thing for a long time, and I wanna tell you…" I began, stumbling over my words and not making eye contact with anyone at the table. "And I don't want you to flip out so please just remember that I'm still the same person…"_

 _My dad immediately sprung up from his chair, startling us all. "You're pregnant! Aren't you?" He barked, causing Timothy to snort with laughter and everyone to stare at him questioningly. I gave him a stern glare, although I had to admit it was quite ironic that my dad automatically assumed the exact opposite of what I was trying to tell him._

" _Totally_ _ **not**_ _what it is…" He mumbled under his breath. My dad took a deep breath and sat back down and continued his expectant stare while my mother looked at me confusedly._

" _So what is it then?" My mom asked me._

" _I'm kinda sorta, um, like, gay." I mumbled, unsure if they could even make out what I had said. I felt sick to my stomach as a silence dropped over the kitchen. My mother was the first one to break the silence as she stood up and rounded the table, pushing Tim's arm away from around my shoulders and pulling me in to a hug._

" _Joanne's your girlfriend, isn't she?" She asked softly, referring to my 'friend' Joanne, who I'd been dating privately for close to three months now._

" _Yeah." I admitted, leaning in to the embrace. "Please don't me ma."_

" _I only have one question." My father said, standing up again. I swallowed, mentally going over my escape plans for when he asked me to get the hell out of his house. "Are you still who I raised you to be?"_

 _I smiled up at him with tears in my eyes. In that moment it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of my shoulder. "I am."_

I continued to hold Calliope as she cried it out. Occasionally she would murmur incoherent words, but most of the time she just cried. I found myself feeling helpless as I looked down at the broken Latina in my arms. I also felt anger. Anger at Carlos Torres for making someone who I loved cry. I was not going to have this.

I threw a half glance to the other side of our bed where Callie was sleeping peacefully. My eyes flicked to the alarm clock that told me that it was 7:00am. Without making a noise I slipped from Callie's arms carefully and tiptoed through to the bathroom, throwing on the nearest set of clothes I could find. I quickly brushed through my messy curls before grabbing the bag that I usually took to the hospital. My shift didn't start until noon, but I had a mission complete before then.

After sending a quick text to Teddy asking her to cover for me if Callie asked where I was, I left Callie a quick note that said I had been paged into the hospital, and with that I was on my way.

Pulling up to the hotel in my car, I let out a nervous sigh. Not only was I about to speak to a man who quite frankly scared the crap out of me, but this hotel was extremely extravagant and intimidating, which didn't help my nerves in the slightest.

"Excuse me, can you please give me the room number of Mr Carlos Torres?" I asked the stony-faced reception lay who looked up at the clock before glancing back at me with raised eyebrows. However she did as I asked.

"Room 413." She told me in a bored voice.

"Thank you to you too." I mumbled under my breath as I walked towards the elevators. I held my breath as I watched the number that indicated the floors rise, until eventually it stopped at the floor I had requested, floor 4.

I wrung my hands together as I scanned each door as I walked along the corridor. Once I located number 413, I took a deep breath before knocking. Most people would have dubbed me rude or crazy for turning up at 7:00am when any sane person would have been sleeping, but from what Callie had told me about her father, I had no doubt he'd already be awake, and my expectations were met as the door swung open to reveal a fully dressed Carlos Torres standing in the doorway, wearing an unimpressed expression.

"Dr Robbins?" He asked in a short tone. I didn't wait for him to say anything further before I began the speech that I' spent all night going over in my head.

"She's your daughter." I began, but he cut me off, stepping away from the doorway and walking back into the room. I quickly followed him.

"I don't know you well enough to talk about her. We're not gonna do that." He told me simply taking a step away from me. However I just took a step closer and continued talking, not looking him in the eye but staring out of the window.

"Most people think I was named for the state, but it's not true. I was named for a battle ship. The U.S.S. Arizona." I continued. "My grandfather was serving on the Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and he saved 19 men before he drowned." I told him proudly. The story of my grandfather was one that was very close to my heart, and it made me proud to tell it.

"Pretty much everything my father did his whole life was about honoring that sacrifice. I was raised to be a good man in a storm. Raised me to love my country. To love my family. To protect the things I love." I remembered my childhood, following my father's patriotic actions with pride and swearing by the life lessons that he had taught me.

"When my father - Colonel Daniel Robbins, the United States Marine Corp - heard that I was a lesbian, he said he had only one question. I was prepared for, 'How fast can you get the hell out of my house?' But instead, it was, 'Are you still who I raised you to be?'."

I let my words hang in the air for a few moments, the memory of that day hitting my hard for the second time within twenty four hours.

"My father believed in country the way that you believe in God. And my father is not a man who bends, but he bent for me because I'm his daughter. I'm a good man in a storm. I love your daughter." I said and he looked up in surprise. "And I protect the things that I love. Not that I need to. She doesn't need it. She's strong, and caring, and honorable. She's who you raised her to be. " I finished, feeling the emotions build up in my chest. Carlos Torres remained silent, although his gaze had softened considerably.

Sensing that my work here was done, I left the room quietly without saying goodbye. I smiled to myself. I had a good feeling about this, and all I could do was wait and pray that Mr Torres did too.


	10. Chapter 10

The First Time Ever chapter ten

 **Hi guys! Thank you so much for your lovely reviews. I've had major writer's block for these recent chapters. I tried to make the whole 'Callie's dad' ordeal similar to how it happened on the show, but not the exact same. Please let me know (constructively) if there is anything I can do to improve. Also, please enjoy!**

 **CALLIE'S POV**

The shrill ringing of a cell phone was not the way that I had planned to wake up this morning. Groaning loudly, I opened my eyes and listened for the direction from which the ringing came. Realising that it was right next to me on the bedside table I picked it up, smiling when I saw Arizona's name and picture flash across the screen. Her contact picture was one of her, as she was dancing around the apartment. She had looked so happy, so I had snapped the picture quickly without her noticing.

"Hey babe." I answered, clearing my throat to get rid of the thick layer of tiredness that laced my voice.

"Hey you." She replied, and from behind her I could hear the familiar sounds of the busy hospital. "It's nice to hear your voice." She said sweetly. "Oh, shut up, you." She whispered to someone. "Sorry, Teddy's fake gagging." She said which made me laugh. "I just called to make sure you woke up. Your shift starts in two hours." She told me, making me glance at the alarm clock and realise it was indeed 9:00am.

"Yeah, I'm awake. Thank you for checking." I thanked her. After a few more words and 'I love you's, I hung up and began the process of getting ready for a day at the hospital. Once I was fully dressed I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and applied a light layer of makeup. I downed a cup of coffee before I found myself with half an hour before I needed to leave and nothing to do with it. Time was the last thing I needed right now, because it made it impossible to avoid thinking about what had happened yesterday. I didn't want to ponder over the fact that my own father had told me to go to Hell.

I suppose Arizona did have a point, I admitted to myself as I sat on the edge of the bed and stared blankly at the wall opposite. She had pointed out that I shouldn't have expected him to just gladly accept it straight away, because I was the one, after thirty years of appearing straight and dating men, who had changed the game. Although she had agreed with me that that didn't make what he said called for, she had encouraged me to calm down slightly and try to talk to him more rationally.

However, it scared the crap out of me. It could either go extremely well or be a royal disaster, and I didn't think I could bring myself to face up to the latter. But Arizona was right, yet again. I had to talk to him. I smiled to myself, thinking about the blonde haired beauty that so often spoke with wisdom. She was right and she was awesome.

I stumbled to my feet ten minutes later, resigning myself to the fact that I couldn't put it off any longer. Surely I wasn't going to call it quits now, after one argument, was I? No, I wasn't.

"Torres! I spoke to blondie, you okay?" Mark asked in concern as he approached me later that day. I hadn't seen any sign of my father at the hospital today so I assumed he was at his hotel, which was where I would be heading once my shift ended.

"You know Arizona hates you calling her 'blondie'." I pointed out, remembering with a smile the time Arizona had struck Mark over the back of the head with a medical journal because he refused to let the nickname go.

He shrugged my comment off. "Eh, what can I say? It sticks." He said, before turning more serious. "But are you okay though?"

I smiled forcefully. "I'll be okay. I'm going to try and talk to him. I mean, I was the one who changed things after thirty years. I could have at least expected him to act a little irrationally. Maybe not to the scale that he did, but I need to try and talk to him at the very least."

Mark looked shocked for a moment, letting out a slow whistle. "Blondie's changed you, Torres."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Definitely not." He said firmly. "She makes you happy. It's the least you deserve after all of the crap you've been through." He said softly, walking away quickly, leaving me standing there with a smile on my face. Mark rarely ever showed his soft side but when he did he was a genuinely kind hearted person.

The day passed without any major events or complications. After a simple lunch in the cafeteria with Arizona my mood was drastically improved, which was definitely saying something. As I exited the hospital hand in hand with Arizona, ready to make my way to his hotel with Arizona insisting she'd stay in the car to give us time to talk, the last sight I expected to see was the one and only Carlos Torres standing in the main entrance talking to Chief Webber.

"Dad?" I called out to him. He whipped around to face me, his expression softening immediately. Arizona stood there awkwardly before Webber pitched in.

"Dr Robbins, do you have a moment to discuss the Johnson case?" He asked and Arizona nodded, even though I knew that the Johnson case didn't exist. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and whispered 'good luck' in my ear before walking away. Once they were gone I turned to face my father.

"I don't want to argue." He said to start off with, walking up to me and taking my by the shoulders. "I just… I have to catch you."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

I have to catch you." He repeated. "Your whole life, you've always been on a bridge, Calliope. Ever since you were a little girl and you don't just walk on it, either. No, you climb on the railing and you're ready to leap, and when you do, when that happens, I have to be there. I have to catch you."

I shook my head. "You don't have to catch me, dad."

"Yes, I do." He said insistently. "It's my job." He said softly and I found my tense and angry demeanour melting away as a smile played at my lips. "Listen, if this works out, between you and Arizona… Would you, um, give your mother a wedding?" He asked. The image of Arizona and I standing at the altar immediately flashed across my mind and it made me extremely happy to think of the possibility that that might one day come true.

"If Arizona wanted to spend the rest of her life with me? Then yeah… I'd put on a big white dress and dance down the aisle."

"And what about grandkids?"

I smiled further. A mini Arizona running around… "Yes, I would imagine, when the time came, there would be kids." I nodded.

He scrutinised me for a second, looking at me with a smile forming on his face. My heart was already beating really fast.

"Does she make you happy?" He asked eventually, bringing the smile on my face to the biggest it had been all day. Arizona made me happier than I could ever imagine.

"Yes, dad. She makes me very happy." I said with a smile. I felt happiness swelling up in my chest like a balloon threatening to burst at any moment. I pulled him into a tight hug, happy to have my dad back on my side. "I love you, you know that?"

He pulled back suddenly, a blank look on his face. "She's not a vegetarian, is she?" He asked deadly seriously, making me laugh. "Because I don't know how much more of this I can take."

I laughed out loud, pulling him back into the hug. "She's not a vegetarian." I assured him.

"I feel very old." He said, with a chuckle and I joined in with him, feeling unbelievably happy that he had come round. "Now." He said as he pulled back. "You need to keep hold of Arizona. She showed up at my hotel room at seven am this morning and gave me this whole speech on honour and love… That's the kind of person you need to keep around."

"She did?" I asked in shock, my love for the woman standing inside the hospital growing at least seventeen times, just when I thought I couldn't love her any more.

"She did. And now I would quite like to meet her, since we haven't exactly done that very well."

I smiled and lead him into the hospital. When I didn't see Arizona there I could only assume that she had headed back up to the peds ward, and that was where I headed next. I smiled when I saw her sitting on one of the chairs in the hall with her three year old patient, Sophie on her lap. They were reading a book that I couldn't recognise from where I stood and Sophie was slowly falling to sleep. Upon my arrival Arizona looked up and flashed me a smile before continuing her story. I watched contentedly as Arizona finished her story and gathered Sophie into her arms and carried her back through to the room. My dad and I stood by the door as she talked to Sophie's parents briefly before exiting the room.

"Calliope!" She exclaimed, pulling me into a hug. "Mr Torres." She added politely. "Is everything okay?" She asked suspiciously, looking between the two of us with narrowed eyes.

"Everything is great. You ready to head home? I'm making chicken picatta. I proposed and she smiled.

"My favourite. Yeah, I'm ready." She said. "I just need to grab my bag from my office." She said. She was already changed from her scrubs and lab coat to some black skinny jeans and a grey hoodie. We followed her to her office where she wuickly picked up her bag.

We made our way back to the apartment, conversation flowing between us all. I had initially been worried that Arizona and my dad wouldn't get on very well, but my worries were unfounded as the conversation was held up by the two of them while I only made the occasional comment, happy to watch my girlfriend and my father get on so well.

"What did you say to him?" I asked Arizona later that night after my father had left and we were lounging on the couch with a glass of wine each.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She said, her voice a pitch higher than normal.

"If you say so." I replied with a chuckle. "Listen… I've been looking, and…" I said slowly, rising from my spot on the couch and digging through the pile of paperwork that sat on top of be bookcase. "I've found a few apartment we could look at." I said, presenting the files to her and laughing at the look of shock on her face. I could tell that she thought I had forgotten that I'd agreed to move in with her, and over the past twenty four hours I momentarily had, but before then it had never left my mind. The minute she'd asked me and we'd agreed to get a whole new apartment together I had started looking.

"Calliope..." She said in a low voice as she flipped through the different apartments that I had tracked down. "These are perfect!" She exclaimed, placing them aside and drawing me in for a kiss.

"You thought I had forgotten, right?" I asked when we drew apart.

"Just a little." She admitted, holding her thumb and forefinger mere millimetres apart. "When can we start looking?"

"My dad recommended a great realtor. I can call her and make a booking tomorrow." I suggested and she nodding, going back to examining the files. "There are obviously a lot more, but from what I could find online…"

"This one's my favourite." She said firmly, holding up the picture of the three bedroom apartment that was only ten minutes from here.

"We'll definitely look at that one tomorrow. But for now, I'm taking my incredibly sexy girlfriend to bed…"

She smiled up at me, her eyes darkening to the exact shade of blue that made me forget what I was saying. "And what do you plan to do when we get there?"

I smiled mischievously, taking her hand in mine and pulling her up into a standing position. "That's for me to know and you to find out…"


	11. Chapter 11

The First Time Ever chapter eleven

ARIZONA'S POV

I sighed heavily as we approached the door of the fifth apartment that we had looked at that day. To say that I was excited to find the perfect apartment and live with Callie was the understatement of the year, however we had been looking at apartments all day and none of them seemed right for us- it got boring after a while.

"So what do you think?" Our realtor, Jan asked us as we took our time to examine the apartment. It had three bedrooms, a living room with a conjoined kitchen, complete with two bathrooms. So far, I was impressed. It had high ceilings and it was quite open plan, but not so much that there wasn't any privacy anywhere. I loved the hardwood mahogany floors and I liked the fact that the kitchen had an island. I turned to Callie with a smile on my face to see that she looked just as happy as I did.

"This is the best one, so far." I said excitedly as I followed Callie through to the bedroom, which had an en-suite bathroom. I instantly fell in love with the pastel blue walls and the double bed that lay in the middle of the room. I took Callie's hand in mine and squeezed it. "I'm falling in love with this place." I whispered to her and she smiled down at me.

"Me too." She admitted and I breathed a sigh of relief. In every apartment so far, Callie had something to criticise. Ceilings too low, no fireplace, too small, too big, not enough windows… The list was endless. However I could see that she was completely honest with me as we stood in the bedroom of what felt like an apartment that was made for us.

We turned to Jan with equally huge smiles on our faces. "We'll take it."

"But where am I supposed to go when I run out of beer?"

"Um, the store? The bar?"

I smiled at Mark who was sitting across from Callie and I at a table in the cafeteria. Teddy was sitting to his left and we were currently discussing how on earth Mark was going to survive without Callie right across the hall.

"Those are too far away!" He protested. Teddy and simultaneously rolled our eyes at Callie and Marks 'argument'.

"Oh poor you, how will you ever survive?" Callie said with a fake pout. "Walking all the way across the street? Your legs might not be able to take it."

Teddy and I locked eyes from across the table and made a silent agreement to get away from there. "Oh look, I'm being paged." I mumbled, even though the device attached to my hip was completely silent. I stood up quickly and took Teddy by the arm and dragged her away.

"They make me laugh." I sighed as soon as we were out of earshot of them.

"When does your shift finish?" She asked me.

"Seven. You?"

"Same. Meet me at Joe's for drinks? I have some stuff I wanna tell you." She said slowly and I whipped my head up to look at her curiously. "Not bad stuff, promise." She said quickly, obviously sensing my concern. "There's a guy."

I raised my eyebrows in amusement. "There's a guy?"

"There's a guy."

"Tell me about this guy."

"At Joe's. Maybe you'll get to meet this guy."

"Oh so it's a **guy**."

"It is. See you tonight?"

"I'll meet you in the main lobby at seven."

I laughed as I watched her walk away, only to be met by the amused eyes of Miranda Bailey.

"You said 'guy' too many times in that sentence. It's confusing." She said, flipping her chart closed and beginning to walk away.

"Eavesdropping, Bailey?" I asked with a smile, a hint of accusation lacing my tone.

"No idea what you're talking about."

I felt perfectly content as I stepped into the familiar surroundings of Joe's. Teddy and I were greeted by a few other nurses and doctors whom we worked alongside. I made small talk with them, while Teddy appeared to be on the completely different mission of people watching.

"There he is! There he is!" She exclaimed excitedly, tugging on my arm persistently as she pulled me away from the conversation I was staging with Nurse Tyler and leading me over to a tall, dark haired man with a friendly face. "Henry, Arizona. Arizona, Henry." She introduced us.

"It's nice to meet you." I said politely as we shook hands. Teddy stood awkwardly beside us, tapping her feet. I laughed in amusement at her nervous antics, deciding to break the awkward silence. "Let's get drinks! I don't have to work tomorrow." I suggested, leading them over to the bar. I was the first to call for a white wine and Teddy looked at me with a smirk.

"Starting slow, are we?"

"I remember the last time I did shots with you, Altman. Not happening again."

The night sailed by smoothly. The conversation flowed between Teddy, Henry and I as I won at dart six times in a row, while Teddy continued to act like a hyper teenaged girl. She did however seem to be truly happy, and from what I could tell from Henry, he was a great guy.

"Can I join?" A voice from behind me whispered, and I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around my waist. I would have jumped away out of reflex had it not been for the fact that I recognised the voice, so instead of freaking out I relaxed into Callie's arms.

"I thought you had surgery." I said as I turned round to greet her with a kiss.

"It got postponed. My patient thought it would be a wise idea to eat before surgery, despite my instructions not to." She explained, before turning to Teddy and Henry. Introductions were quickly exchanged and we resumed our game of darts, and I quickly took the lead yet again.

"Haha! Suckers!" I exclaimed, doing a mini victory dance in celebration of yet another win. I danced straight in to Callie's arms, fixing her with an elated smile. By this point I was just passing the point of tipsy, which also meant that in my opinion, the night was over because there was nothing more important in this world right now than going home with Callie. "What do you say we get outta here?" I asked, pulling her close and softly nipping her left ear with my lower teeth.

"I like your thinking." She breathed

"Let's do this!" I exclaimed, lifting an empty box from the pile and dragging it through to my bedroom. Callie quickly followed my suit, both of us excited to get this moving process on the go.

It had been roughly two weeks since we had finally agreed on an apartment, and just two days ago we had finished signing all of the papers and had been given the keys. The prospect of living with Callie officially positively thrilled me. I was so excited to take this next step in our relationship and our lives. It reminded me yet again of all the positivity that Callie had brought to my life. Before her I thought I would never be happy again, and moving in with her now was just another way of the universe proving me wrong.

"You're such a clean freak." Callie mumbled under her breath as she stared in to my perfectly organised closet. My organisation skills were yet another side effect of growing up in a military family- organisation and timing played a key role in my upbringing.

"You can't complain. My organisation skills are the only thing that got us through the past two weeks." I laughed. Packing up apartments was stressful. Finding enough boxes for everything and organising everything into those boxes was what made it so stressful. However, my organisation skills combined with my experience of moving house several times in my life made it just that tiny bit easier.

"Yeah, whatever." She mumbled again, reaching into the closet and beginning to pack clothes into the plastic boxes.

I had to admit, I was slightly anxious about this move. Not so much about actually moving, but how it would affect our relationship. I mean, I loved Callie more than anything in this world, but what if she realised that actually living with me full time was a lot different than spending the night at my apartment every few nights. What if she ended up hating the clean freak side of me? What if she hated the way I organised the spice shelf? What if she couldn't deal with the nightmares like she thought she could?

"What's up?" She asked, setting the box down. Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I looked around to realise that I had completely stopped what I was doing and had begun chewing on my thumb nail again, a habit I had picked up during my long hours of studying during college.

"Hmm?"

She sighed, making her way over to me. "You only do that when something's bothering you. So what's bothering you?"

I sighed in defeat, realising I had been caught. "It's just…" I trailed off. "What of you don't like living with me?" I asked timidly.

She raised her eyebrows. "Why wouldn't I like living with you?"

I lowered my head. "Cause I'm kind of a clean freak… And the spice shelf is in alphabetical order… And I still have nightmares sometimes and they always wake you up…" I trailed off, feeling like a child who was admitting to something bad. The rational side of me knew that these fears were irrational. Callie knew what she was getting herself into. However, that didn't stop that tiny bit of fear making itself known.

She furrowed her eyebrows, pulling me in close and resting her chin on the top of my head. "You know you're being silly, right?"

"Yeah."

"Of course I'm going to love living with you. And I like that you're a clean freak- it keeps everything in line. And when was the last time you had a nightmare?"

"A month ago."

"Exactly." She said softly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "I love you. And you've come so far. There's no way that I'm leaving now." She told me, a smile stretching across her face. "And besides, you might not like the fact that I sing all of the time, or that I talk in my sleep or that I always forget to take the clean clothes out of the washer."

I smiled up at her. "I love all of those things. Your singing voice is amazing and you say the funniest things in your sleep. And yeah, forgetting the washing isn't great, but you always remember to put it in in the first place." I reminded her, giving her a soft kiss and hugging her once more. "Of course I'll love living with you. I love you."

"And I love you."

 **Hey guys, I know this chapter is kind of short and uncoordinated. I had major writer's block. However I've planned out exactly what I want to happen next and I think the block is officially over. Also, school is starting up over here soon so chapters might be further apart. Apologies in advance!**

 **On a brighter note, I got my exam results back and I'm super happy with them! Four As and three Bs.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! Happy Existing!**


	12. Chapter 12

The First Time Ever chapter twelve

 **Hi guys! Just to clear up some timeline stuff… The story's around early April right now, and they started dating in September. That means they've been dating for about seven months. I just had to clear that up, because I realised I wasn't even sure what month it was in lol. Anyway, enjoy!**

ARIZONA'S POV

The peds ward had been especially busy over the last few days. I had been performing back to back surgeries on tiny humans with extremely worried parents who had what seemed to be a never ending list of questions.

Due to my extremely busy schedule I had hardly been able to see Callie all week, despite the fact that we now shared an apartment. All of my time had been spent at the hospital and I missed her terribly. In contrast to mine, her department had been relatively calm, which meant I saw her even less because she wasn't at the hospital as much as I was. We made an effort to have lunch together every day, but more often than not it was cut short by my pager.

"Hey, Bree!" I said cheerily as I proceeded with my nightly check of patients. This was like rounds, but it was something I did myself. I didn't have to do it, but I liked to check on my patients every so often, and at this time of night most of them were going through the routine of getting ready for bed. All of them that is, except fifteen year old Bree Mitchell, who was engrossed in what I could only assume was the newest episode of _Pretty Little Liars._ She was utterly obsessed with the Netflix series.

"Hi, Dr Robbins." She greeted me, removing her headphones and closing her laptop. Her mother, Audrey, was sitting on the couch in the corner of the room and stood up to greet me.

"Hey, Arizona." She said. Patient's parents tended to call me by my first name as per my insistence. From past experience it made parents trust me more when they we were on first name basis. "You look exhausted." She commented.

"Yeah." I sighed, checking my watch. "This is hour… thirty two of my shift."

Both of their eyes widened. "I could never be a doctor." Bree commented. "I like to sleep."

"Speaking of." Her mother told her. "It's ten pm."

" _Only."_ Bree sighed.

I laughed at their antics, admiring their mother daughter relationship. "I just came here to see how you were doing. Check your vitals and such. I'll be quick." I promised, proceeded to update her charts after checking her vitals. I added a few comments to the manual chart that hung from the bottom of her bed.

"Another reason I could never be a surgeon." Bree told me. "That looks so complicated."

"It's okay once you know what you're doing." I told her, finishing my work and bidding them goodbye before exiting the room. It was now ten pm and I still couldn't leave, so I decided with a sigh to locate the nearest on call room.

Once I reached one I slumped down on the bed and whipped out my phone and smiled when I saw a new text message from Callie.

 _It's nine thirty pm so I guess you'll be staying at the hospital? Make sure you get some sleep and I'll bring breakfast if you're still not out in the morning. I miss you. I love you. C xx_

I smiled at her sweetness. Sometimes I forgot how lucky I was to have her. She always looked out for me in small ways like this and I forgot how much I appreciated her sometimes.

 _Breakfast sounds great. I'm sorry I haven't been home as much recently. I miss you. I love you too.- A xx_

A few hours later I woke up in a cold sweat, shaking from head to toe. A mixture of adrenaline and fear coursed through my veins, paralysing me. A nightmare had invaded my dreams for the first time in over a month. This time Callie had been there, she had been the victim of the man who had ruined my life for a year. I let out a sob, as I lay there, frozen, too afraid to move.

"Arizona? What's wrong? Can you hear me?" A gentle voice was saying but I could barely I covered my face with my hands and tried to stop crying but I couldn't.

"Arizona? Are you okay?" The voice persisted. I opened my eyes and turned my head to the right, where the worried face of Meredith Grey stared back at me. I immediately bolted upright, cursing myself for letting my guard down in front of someone that wasn't Callie. I refused to look at her, unsure of whether to explain to her or not. I ran my still shaking my hands through my hair and took multiple calming breaths.

"I-I'm okay. I'm good." I said once I finally found my voice.

"Are you sure?" She asked, placing a soothing hand on my shoulder. I involuntarily flinched away and she looked at me in concern. I didn't know her too well. We had worked together multiple times as co-workers, and I had spent thanksgiving at her house, but she was Callie's friend. A good friend, I realised with a sigh.

"Yeah, um…" I struggled for words.

Meredith, obviously sensing my confliction, interrupted me. "You don't have to explain anything to me that you don't want to. I just want to make sure you're okay. Are you?"

I nodded. Although she had pointed out that I didn't owe her an explanation, I could tell she was curious. I also felt I at least owed her a brief one. "It's okay. Um, about two years ago I started getting all of these texts. Weird ones from a blocked number, with creepy stuff written like _'I know you but you don't know me'_ , you know? And it went on and on until one night this guy followed me home… He started hitting me and kicking me and I couldn't fight him off…" I had to cut myself off, choking back the bile that threatened its way up my throat.

"Oh my God. Did he…?" She didn't finish her sentence, but I knew exactly what she was asking. I shook my head.

"No. A passing car stopped next to us and the driver beat the crap out of him." I concluded, proud of myself for getting through the story without breaking down. The version that I had told Meredith was nowhere near as detailed as the one I had told Callie, but it didn't need to be. "I need to go." I said suddenly, finding the tension in the room too much. "Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

"I promise." She nodded, watching me leave.

The nightmare resulted in a downhill spiral in my mood department. I was incredibly pissed that I couldn't move past them. It had been so long since my last one, because normally I had Callie sleeping beside me. She stood for safety, and even subconsciously my brain knew that I was safe with her. But when I had to sleep alone it was a different story, as proven by tonight.

To say that it was a relief to finally be going home the next day was the understatement of the year. Due to my hectic week and crazy hours it meant that I now had three days off, and I planned to sleep, sleep, eat, and sleep.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you." I said as I entered our apartment to see Callie lounging on the couch watching some crappy TV show.

"If it's even half as glad as I am to see you, then it's a lot." She replied, pulling me into her arms as I sat beside her.

"It was a rough night. I had another nightmare." I revealed. In the past I had tried to hide my nightmares from Callie, but it was too hard.

"Aw, sweetie. You should have called." She told me. I rested my head in the crook of her neck as she ran her hand comfortingly through my hair.

"I know, I just…" I sighed, not even sure what I was going to say.

"You don't have to explain. Come on, let's go to bed."

The next few months were some of the best in my life. Never before had I felt so happy in a relationship, and my career was going better than ever. Teddy and I had recently published an article on Von Hippel Lindau Syndrome in children which had grown extremely popular in the medical world, and I felt more content than I ever had in my life.

"Do you really have to go?" Callie sked sadly as we waited in the main entrance of the hospital. Teddy and I were flying to Boise, Idaho to give a lecture at a university about our article.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'll be back tomorrow night." I told her softly.

"Don't be sorry. My girlfriend is a super-hot, badass peds surgeon." She said excitedly.

"Oh really, what's her name?" I asked.

"You wouldn't know her. She's very modest." She replied, playing along. Over her shoulder I saw Teddy waving at me frantically, looking like a weirdo. I laughed at her actions and refocused on Callie.

"I love you so much." I told her seriously, giving her a gentle kiss that lingered for multiple seconds. I pulled her into a hug. "We'll celebrate my badassery when I get home." I whispered in her ear before I let her go and walked off to join Teddy, waving at her over my shoulder.

"So how's Henry?" I asked Teddy as we boarded the plane. I hated flying, but mostly it was the taking off part that scared me the most. The idea of ascending thousands of miles into the air in a thin silver tube somehow just didn't appeal to me.

"He's great. We've been on three more dates since you met him."

"So you passed the three date mark, huh? How did that go?"

She smiled. "It was amazing. Seriously, I don't know why you don't go for guys."

"Ew, icky boy penises. No thank you." I said in disgust as I scrunched up my nose. Just then the plane started moving. Until then I hadn't even noticed it had been trafficking, and my hands gripped the armrests tightly as the plane started to gather speed.

"Nervous flyer?" Teddy asked with a smirk as she watched me try to calm myself.

"Nervous as fuck." I confirmed, screwing my eyes shut.

I hated flying. I always felt closer to death on a plane than in the OR. It was funny. I dealt with life or death cases nearly every day. The prospect of either saving a child and allowing them to live a full life, or failing and robbing them of endless opportunities was terrifying. And yet I was still more scared of flying than I was of that particular prospect.

I stared out of the window, intently watching the clouds. I even chanced a couple of glances down as we were taking off but I had almost immediately looked away. Once we had finally taken off, it wasn't so bad, now that we were up in the air- it felt safer and steadier.

That was until, about an hour in, the plane started to shake violently. I gripped the armrests for dear life, screwing my eyes shut. "It's just turbulence, it's just turbulence…" I repeated to myself over and over until it finally subsided and we both went back to our original relaxed stances.

"Some turbulence." I heard Teddy say under her breath. However, our moment of peace was soon ruptured yet again by further violent jerks from the plane. This time I panicked when it didn't subside as quickly as it had the last time.

I took a quick glance out of the window, looking straight down to the ground, alarmed when I could actually see the ground. I shouldn't have been able to see the ground, only clouds. But as I stared down I could make out the many trees of the forest which looked like a carpet of dark green underneath us. I felt my heart rate speed up slightly as I turned to look at Teddy, who looked as equally concerned as I imagined I did.

"We're really low." I said, although it came out as a mere whisper as the plane continued to shake and jerk violently. The lights continued to flicker before they all finally went out, leaving us in darkness.

Suddenly, there was an almighty _crack_. It was louder than anything I had ever heard- even louder than the gunshots I'd heard while at the shooting range with my father. There was another loud crack as the plane dipped dangerously low. I looked back and screamed.

All I could see was sky. The light from outside was blinding and I held my arms protectively around my head as we began falling. Lower, lower…

And then I was falling. I don't remember much. I screamed as I continued to speed towards the ground, which got closer and closer. It was all happening so fast, but yet it seemed to happen in slow motion. I remember my mind drifting to Callie, her happy face from the last time that I'd seen her.

A thud.

Confusion.

Blackness.

 **Sooorrrry… I had no idea I was gonna write this in until I was writing it in. Don't worry, it won't be the same as the original Grey's plane crash.**

 **Ps. The time skip was about three months. Please enjoy and happy existing!**


	13. Chapter 13

The First Time Ever chapter thirteen

 **Hey guys, I'm sorry for the late update. I'm also sorry that the late update happened to be on the other end of a cliff-hanger, but I've been super busy… A new relationship, performing at festivals, writing my other story (on Wattpad- That Smile) and basically just life… But since it's my birthday, I allowed myself some time to write. I hope you enjoy! Happy Existing!**

The acrid smell of jet fuel that rented the air, combing my nostrils was the first of many things that I noticed when my eyes eventually snapped open. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I turned my head to the left. As I looked around I recognised the remnants of the plane, some of it black and charred from flames that had licked the back of it, and some of it scattered randomly all over the forest floor.

Our plane had crashed.

"T-Teddy?" I choked out, clearing my airways which felt like they had stuck together. As I spoke a throbbing pain shot through my head, making my eyes water. I lifted my hand to the source of the pain, groaning when I drew it back to see blood. And a lot of it. A wave of nausea swept over me and I jerked my head violently to the right, emptying the contents of my stomach all over what seemed to be one of the seats of the plane.

Once I had finished emptying my guts, I rose shakily to my feet, carefully examining myself for any other injures. I winced painfully as I flexed the fingers of my right hand out and a jolt of pain rushed through my arm. Despite the pain I moved my shoulder back and forth, relieved when it still seemed to be in place. I suspected it was broken. I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as I realised that my injuries weren't too major- for now. My head wound was worrying, but I was still conscious and that was a good sign.

"Teddy?" I called out again, fear plunging through my heart when no reply came. With thoughts on nothing other than locating my best friend, I set off through the woods, doing my best to ignore the pain in my arms and the remnants of the plane that were scattered everywhere. By the looks of the wreckage it seemed I was extremely lucky to have only sustained minor (ish) injuries, but I refused to settle with the feeling of relief until I found the cardio surgeon. I continued to make my way through the trees, carefully pulling back each branch before it could come back and whack me in the face, all while calling Teddy's name repeatedly.

"Arizona!"

I froze in my tracks. I could hear a voice calling me. A familiar one. I whirled around in my spot and nearly passed out in relief as I saw Teddy stumbling towards me, tripping several times over unforeseen branches or rocks.

"Teddy!" I yelled, running as fast as I could over to my best friend and embracing her tightly. "What the hell happened?"

"We were in a plane crash! We were in a plane, and it crashed! That's so fucking stupid!" Teddy yelled in panic. I examined her injuries from where I stood, frowning when I saw a make shift tourniquet, supposedly made from her Seattle Grace jacket, tied around her leg. "A piece of metal stabbed me. Bastard." She huffed, making me smile weakly. The feeling of dizziness was starting to swarm around my head and I could feel my eyelids growing heavy. I continued to examine Teddy, relieved to see only a few shallow cuts and scrapes scattered over her face.

"How the hell did we not get injured more?" I asked disbelievingly, leaning against a tree and wincing when my head made contact with the trunk.

"I wouldn't say that. That head wound doesn't look good." Teddy replied apprehensively. "What should we do?"

I pondered her question. What the hell were we supposed to do? I had no idea where we were, but the fact that we were surrounded by trees only suggested that we weren't anywhere close to people, or decent cell reception. The dizziness was pressing down on my eyelids further and further each second. We had no food and no water. We didn't know how to get out of here.

"The pilots." I finally said, remembering the round faced man and his partner who had greeted us warmly when we had boarded the plane. Teddy nodded in agreement, and without further discussion I lead her back to the plane, which was roughly 15 feet from where I had come to. I kept my eyes focused on my feet as we walked, carefully making sure that I didn't trip over anything- another injury for either of us was the last thing we wanted. "Over there!" I called, pointing over to where I could see the pilot in the cockpit. I frowned. "Is that a branch?"

Teddy stopped in her tracks. "Shit." She said, dumfounded. Clearly visible from where we stood was a ten foot branch that had broken through the cockpit and through the pilot's chest. The co- pilot was nowhere to be seen in amongst the mess. I turned to Teddy, feeling sick to my stomach just looking at it. As a doctor, things like this didn't normally bother me. However looking at the blood spatters against the windows gave me a sudden urge to throw up.

"I didn't notice. Before." I told her. In my urgent search to find Teddy I hadn't paid attention to what was going on in the cockpit. I was thankful that Teddy was there when I eventually saw it, though, because I was leaning on her for support, feeling like I might collapse. Her face was pale and she didn't say anything, just nodded weakly.

"There're some seats over there." She pointed out, indicating to where two seats, still joined together, peeked out from the area where the plane had literally snapped in two. We stumbled over and collapsed down into the seats, staring at the open sky blankly. "Our plane crashed." Teddy repeated, lifting her hand and slamming it against her forehead.

"We're alive." I reminded her, taking her hand in mine. She turned to look at me, smiling softly.

"Yeah, we are." She agreed, letting go of my hand and moving my hair out of the way to examine my head wound, which was stinging like a bitch. I winced harshly when she pressed down on it, frowning. "This is still bleeding." She murmured softly, bringing her hand up to my neck to check my pulse. "But your pulse is strong." She added in a happier tone.

"I can feel my pulse in my head." I informed her dryly. "If anything changes, I'll know."

"Very funny, Robbins. I'm going to see if I can find some water." She said as she rolled her eyes, before turning away from me and limping off to find some water.

As I sat there alone, my mind immediately to the one person I was trying not to think about, because if I thought about Callie I would surely cry. If I thought about her warm voice or the sweet scent of cocoa butter and cocoa beans that was uniquely Calliope, I wouldn't be able to keep it together. If I thought about how I was stuck in the middle of the woods with a broken arm, while my girlfriend was an orthopaedic surgeon, then I would definitely go mad.

I looked up to the sky, blinking back a few tears that were threatening to fall. _I will not cry_ , I told myself. _Crying will not help anything._

Instead, I allowed my mind to flick back to the time that Teddy and I first met. It was September 13th, 2001, two days after the towers collapsed in New York. My father and brother were stationed in Philadelphia at the time, but naturally as soon as they had seen the news, they had made a beeline for New York to see where they could help out. Teddy and I had met in the church, where families and friends of lost ones sought comfort. Her best friend had died when the north tower came down, and following that she had joined the army and we didn't speak very often in years, but after my _accident_ she managed to get two weeks off to come visit me in hospital, and after she started working at Seattle Grace it was Teddy who let me know about the free attending position.

 _I would have thought that after a catastrophic event like this that everywhere would be in chaos. I expected shouting and sirens and alarms going off everywhere, but as I looked outside the only free window of the church I stood in, all of the ash-covered streets were bare._ _An eerie silence gripped the building, only broken by the dull rumble of chatter amongst civilians, all of whom had tear tracks staining their cheeks._

 _I was standing next to a window, behind a table holding boxes full of water and fresh clothing when I saw her. My father and brother were out in the debris zone- a place where no one who didn't have special permission was allowed- helping other marines, soldiers and firefighters sort through the hot pile of debris that was the remainder of the two towers which once cast shadows over New York. I was still in med school, however we had all been given a week off in order to allow us to go and visit family and friends, or in my case, volunteer at a church. She was sitting alone in a corner, clutching a bottle of water for dear life and looking terrified. I turned to the lady, Maria, who was working with me._

" _Have you got this for a couple of minutes?" I asked her, slightly tilting my head in a gesture towards the woman sitting in the corner. She followed my line of sight until she spotted her and nodded sadly._

" _Yeah. Go see her." Maria replied with a reassuring nod, patting my arms gently and taking over my stance behind the table._

 _I walked quickly over to where the woman was sitting and lowered myself down beside her without asking her permission. She looked up at me with raised eyebrows. "I'm Arizona." I introduced myself, sticking out my hand and offering her an apple that I had picked up from one of the stations on my way over. She took it gladly and shook my hand._

" _Teddy." She replied with a weak smile, and soon enough her eyes travelled back to the TV, where the latest news report was being broadcasted. It disgusted me to see the amount of damage caused not just in New York, but in Washington and Philadelphia too._

" _You look like you could use a friend." I continued and she turned to me with watery eyes._

" _My best friend, Hazel Freeman was in the north tower two days ago. I haven't heard any news on her, but I just have this sick feeling in my stomach." She told me, her voice cracking slightly. I gently took her hand in mine and gave it a comforting squeeze._

" _You're gonna be friends with me, okay? At least until you here news. And even after, I'll be here." I told her._

" _I am?" She asked, raising her eyebrows for a second time, this time with a slight smile._

" _Yes. I'm an awesome friend."_

I smiled as I looked back on that memory, feeling glad to know that at least one good thing came from that horrible day.

"Got some!" I heard Teddy exclaim from a distance, and a few seconds later she came into my line of sight clutching two bottles of water. "We'll share this one." She said, holding up the bottle in her right hand, "And we'll use this one to clean that cut out until we can find a first aid box. There's two more by that tree over there but I couldn't carry them all." She explained. In moments like this I was glad that Teddy was a soldier- it gave her the ability to come up with a game plan even though we had basically no idea what to do. And the doctor part of both of us gave us the ability to keep our cool.

"It's getting dark." I said softly, gazing up at the sky once more. If it was getting dark, it surely meant that they realised that our flight hadn't landed. _Maybe they're looking for us right now_ , I thought, a shimmer of hope shining in my head.

Pouring cold water over and open wound was not something that I could describe as particularly fun. In fact, it sting like hell. I clenched my teeth to keep myself from crying as Teddy carefully wiped away dry blood from the wound. "Give me that. I'll do your leg." I told her, taking the bottle into my shaky hands and carefully drizzling it over Teddy's injury. It was hard to get it completely clean given that it was already wrapped up, but I did as best I could as quick as I could.

"What do we do now?" Teddy asked as she sat down beside me, looking up at the sky.

We were in the middle of nowhere. The pilot was dead and the co-pilot was probably dead, although neither I nor Teddy could bring ourselves to go up there. Teddy was injured and so was I, and by the looks of the cockpit I was guessing the transmitter was broken in the crash. I could have said something sarcastic, or something morbid and sad. However, I just shrugged my shoulder dumbly.

"I have no idea." I said, resting my head on her shoulder, all while finally letting my mind drift towards Calliope. I couldn't sleep without her, and staying awake until we were found meant that it was going to seem like forever until I saw her again.


	14. Chapter 14

The First Time Ever chapter fourteen

 **Hi guys! This chapter is in partially Teddy's POV, which I was super psyched to write. Again, sorry for the long wait between updates, life is crazy right now. But don't worry; I have this story planned out basically to the end!**

It was so cold outside. That was all I could think about as Arizona and I sat under the sky, neither of us knowing what to do. During my time in the army I had dealt with being stranded once before, but we were prepared. When I had gotten on this plane I had certainly not been expecting it to crash. And it was so cold, especially now as it approached night time. Although it may be July, I still found myself shivering as the bitter cold rented the air.

"Any change in that pulse?" I asked, looking over at Arizona, whose eyelids were drooping dangerously low. "Hey, eyes on me. No sleeping." We had agreed that both of us were going to stay awake until we were found. However, I was concerned that she might be falling unconscious due to her head wound and not due to fatigue. There was no way that I could tell for sure whether her brain had been affected- although she was walking around initially and her words were clear and her pupils were all good, if there were any delayed effects it might be too late.

"Pulse is good. Headache isn't." She groaned. We hadn't moved positions from where we had sat down hours earlier. We both claimed that moving around would do us no good, but I knew that I was scared. It sounded silly, even to me. I had fought in Iraq for nine years- I had seen much worse. But when I was out there, it was because that was what I was supposed to be doing. I knew, no matter how bad things got, in the back of my mind I knew that I was helping to protect people. We weren't supposed to be out here, though. There were no families at home who could sleep safely due to the fact that we were stranded out here. And that was terrifying. "How's your leg doin?" She asked, lifting her head from my shoulder and turning to look at me.

I looked down to where my leg was securely bandaged by the sleeve of my Seattle Grace Mercy West jacket. It stung like a bitch, but I had poured some water over it to clean it and it didn't show any signs of infection yet, for which I was glad. We had enough on our plates without another infection. "As good as it can be after having being impaled with metal." I shrugged my shoulders.

"D-Do you think they know we're missing yet?" Arizona shivered quietly, and I thought of everyone back home. We had been out here for hours- our plane was meant to land ages ago, so they must have been notified that we hadn't shown up. I thought of Henry, who hated flying. I never understood it, but now I realised with a shocking stab of irony that he was right. He had every right to be worried about cylinders of people flying thousands of feet in the air. I laughed to myself. I missed him.

"They're looking for us. They're trying to find us." I said in what I thought was a confident tone, but I heard the waver in my voice as clearly as I knew Arizona did. We sat still, listening to the dull wind blowing around us, the occasional hoot of an owl or a flutter of bird wings breaking the silence. It was eerily quiet and I could hear both of our breathing and see the gentle white condensation of our breath in the air as we breathed out.

"Callie has this thing. She opens the window right up and stares out of it for, like, five minutes straight, and she does it every night. I never understood it; I just thought it was weird. But now I get it." She said, her eyes focused on something that I couldn't see. "I never stop to realise how small we are. Look how big everything looks." She said, looking around in wonder, and I agreed with her. Sitting under the stars, surrounded by trees taller than houses, our situation did bring a certain feeling of insignificance. "I'm going to marry her." She said suddenly, snapping out of her reverie and turning to face me.

"No shit, Sherlock. If you guys don't end up dancing down the aisle in big poufy dresses and living in a house full of screaming children and driving minivans, then I'll be down in Hell, helping with the defrosting."

"I mean it. I'm going to propose." She said, leaning forward slightly and wincing. "Will you help me pick a ring, when we finally get out of here?"

I smiled widely. "You bet I will."

The next two days were unbearable. Our resolve, which had started out strong and confident, was quickly dissolving before our very eyes. Our weak attempts at sarcastic jokes soon died as hunger and dehydration took a hold of us. Although at night it was freezing cold, the summer weather had definitely arrived and the sun scorched down on us as we sat out by the plane wreckage.

I had been certain that they would have found us now. I had held onto the hope that we wouldn't have to live through another night of hearing animals fight over the dead pilot and co-pilot or forcing Arizona to stay awake and not succumb to the unconsciousness that was ever so welcoming. I was beginning to get worried about her. Her left arm, her broken one, was colder than her right which meant that the break could be affecting her circulation. However, it hadn't turned purple yet so it wasn't a priority. The priority was her head wound. Untreated head wounds could cause any number of terrible consequences and I did not want to be in the middle of nowhere to witness them.

The most frustrating thing was that there was nothing we could do but sit and wait. Aside from making sure that neither one of us fell asleep and taking our vitals regularly, there was nothing we could do to help us get out of here faster. As doctors, it was maddening- we were used to being in control. There was always something that we could do to make a situation better, but out here we weren't doctors. We were just random people in a plane crash.

CALLIE'S POV

Two days and fourteen hours. That's how long it had been since I last saw Arizona. Two days and seven hours. That's how long it had been since I heard that their plane didn't land. Two days, three hours. That's how long it had been since it had been concluded that the plane had most likely crashed.

I wasn't allowed to be part of the search and rescue team that were currently searching for them. My father, who had flown in as soon as he heard the news, was out with them instead. I was at the hospital with Barbara and Daniel, who had also flown in. They were staying at our apartment, but they were rarely there, and either was I. We spent most of the time, which seemed to drag on, in empty conference rooms or making futile attempts to sleep in on call rooms.

I couldn't bear the thought of Arizona, or Teddy for that matter, being anything but fine. However, I knew that after two days of search and rescue, if they still couldn't find them then they weren't coming out of this unscathed.

"I brought you coffee."

I looked up to see Mark standing over me, holding out a large cup of coffee. I accepted it with a grateful smile, taking a large sip and allowing myself to smile at the warmth it brought. He sat down beside me on an unused gurney in the hallway, his own coffee in his hands. He looked at me sceptically. "You need to sleep." He stated.

I scoffed. "Tried and failed. There's no way that I could possibly sleep right now." I sighed, tilting my head back to rest against the wall. Further down the hall I could see Henry, Teddy's boyfriend, talking with Owen, a look of sheer fatigue on his face. Barb and Daniel were in the cafeteria. Both of them were terrified at the prospect of losing yet another child. "How's Lexie?" I asked him, desperate for a change of subject. Although I couldn't force myself to stop thinking about them sitting God knows where alone and injured, I couldn't bear to talk about it.

"She's great. Kicking ass amongst the residents, as usual." He replied with a proud smile. I had to admit, I'd had some doubts about Lexie Grey being so young, but she had done wonders for Mark's maturity.

Suddenly, the high pitched beeping of a pager sounded in the air and we both jumped up, each of us checking our hips where our pagers lay. My heartrate increased dramatically when I saw that it was mine that was lit up, with the code for the chief's office flashing over the screen. I looked up at Mark, nodding my head and then running to the chief's office as fast as I could, Henry, Owen and Mark hot on my heels.

When I got to Webber's office I saw that Barbara and Daniel were already there, Barbara with tears staining her face and Daniel interrogating a member of the board.

"They found them."

Those three words were all it took for me to collapse to my knees in relief. I looked up at everyone in the room, all of them wearing small smiles on their face. "Where are they?" I asked, taking Mark's offered hand and standing up shakily.

"They found them in a forest on the flightpath to Boise. Pilot and co-pilot are dead. Looks like the back of the plane flew off."

I felt my heart sink to my stomach as soon as I heard the severity of the crash. I gulped. "Are they okay?" I asked through my tears.

"They're both stable, one more injured than the other. We don't know who that is though."

 _They're both stable._ Relief rushed through me in tidal force, and a smile broke out on my face. Although injured, they were both okay.

"They're bringing them back to the hospital right now, so we need to set up two trauma rooms and a team of surgeons if needed. Torres, you know you can't be a doctor here." Richard said, much to my objection. I was a doctor and I was capable of helping them. "No objections." He added to stop me protesting, and his tone told me that it wasn't worth arguing with him on this one.

Instead of helping to set up the trauma rooms like I wanted to do, I waited at the doors of the ER. They were being flown in via helicopter, and as much as I wanted to be up on the roof waiting for them to arrive, I knew the scene would be chaotic so it was best just to wait until they got down here. I was waiting with Henry, Barbara and Daniel. Mark had gone up to the helicopter pad, promising that he would assess both of their states personally.

The tension that weighed in the air could be cut by a knife as we all waited. The trauma rooms had been set up at an exceptionally fast rate, and all we could do now was wait. It was driving me crazy, knowing that Arizona could very well be in the hospital at this very moment and I didn't know about it.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, I heard the noise of shouting voices rushing towards the ER. I bounced to my feet in anticipation.

First through the door was Meredith, who was pushing a gurney in which Teddy lay. She was conscious, and had an IV in her arm as well as EKG wires attached to her chest. As soon as she saw me she smiled. She looked like hell. She was two times skinnier than the last time I had seen her and there were prominent bags under her eyes. A thin sheen of sweat covered her face, but she was smiling. I glanced down at her leg which was tightly bandaged although I could see some blood.

I ran up to her and hugged her carefully. "Thank God you're okay." I breathed in her ear before letting her go.

"Arizona's right behind me." She said before they wheeled her away. I smiled briefly at Henry who followed her but quickly refocused my attention on the ER doors.

Not even seconds later a second gurney was pushed in, and this time instead of smiling, I burst out into tears. Although I could hear the steady beeping of her heart monitor, Arizona was unconscious and clearly in a worse state than Teddy. Her arm was held in a makeshift sling and there was a big wound on her head that looked like it was getting infected. There was dry blood around her mouth. She looked so small and vulnerable lying on that gurney, all I wanted to do was hold her.

"Oh, Arizona." I cried as they stopped the gurney to give us all a minute to look at her. I leant down and took her good hand in mine, gasping at how cold it was. I felt my tears falling as I took I her battered face and her haggard appearance. I looked up to see Derek, Owen and Bailey looking at us. "Fix her." Was all I said to them in a pleading tone. They all nodded and wheeled her away and I watched them go without protest. Barbara was crying in Daniel's arms and I was overwhelmed by all of the emotions.

I made my way to the waiting room with Barbara and Daniel, the only place in the hospital that seemed quiet. I sat quietly in the corner, clasping my hands together and praying quietly, begging for Arizona to be okay. My dad had gone back to the hotel he was staying in, ordering me to give him updates whenever I could.

After what seemed like forever, Owen came bursting through the doors and immediately made a beeline for us. "She's stable." He started off with, however I could sense a 'but' coming up.

"But?" I prompted him.

"She has some nasty brain swelling due to her head wound. Shepherd's taking her to 0R 2 to perform a craniotomy- to reduce the swelling." He added for Barb and Daniel's sake. "She also has some internal bleeding in her stomach; Teddy said that she'd been coughing up blood. We've examined it and it doesn't look too severe, but Bailey and Grey are going to go in and repair it anyway. Her arm is broken and we were concerned that it was affecting her circulation, but the ultrasound looks clear so Morris is going to go ahead and set it and cast it."

I sat for a few moments and let the news sink in. I was relieved- none of her injuries seemed to be life-threatening. I was concerned about her brain, since it had gone untreated, but Derek was the best neurosurgeon that she could have working on her case. I nodded, wiping the tears from my face. "That's… okay." I spoke out loud and I heard Barbara and Daniel sigh in relief. "What about Teddy?" I asked.

He smiled. "She's hanging in there. Her leg was impaled by some metal, but she managed to remove it and tourniquet it herself in the field. It doesn't appear to have hit any major arteries so some stitches and bandages should do the job. Like Arizona, she's extremely dehydrated so she's being treated with IV fluids and supplemental oxygen while they do a further workup just to be sure. She's asking for you guys."

I nodded again, happy to hear that she was okay. I rose to my feet shakily. "Can I see her?"

"Follow me." He smiled. I waved to Arizona's parents and promised that I would be back soon. I wanted to see Teddy and thank her for keeping Arizona alive.

"Hey, soldier." I greeted with a smile as I walked into Teddy's room a few minutes later. She looked tired beyond belief and her face was as white as a sheet. Henry was standing loyally at her bedside holding her hand. I leaned over her bed and gave her a gentle hug, being careful not to tug any wires. "How are you doing?"

She smiled weakly. "I have the world's worst headache and hospital gowns are itchy and more unflattering than I ever thought, but other than that, I'm okay. How's Arizona?"

"She had some brain swelling so Shepherd has her in OR 2 right now while Bailey and Grey fix her internal bleeding. Her arm has been set and it turns out it wasn't affecting her circulation. Her parents are in the waiting room right now but I wanted to come and see how you were doing."

She nodded. "I knew she would have brain swelling. Her words were getting jumbled and she kept slipping away. I kept her awake, though. And she was coughing up blood. I tried to clean her head wound with water but there wasn't much else I could do." She told me.

"You did a great job. She's alive, and probably thanks to you. Now, you should get some sleep." I smiled at her and Henry scoffed softly from where he stood.

"I've been telling her that ever since we got here, but she won't listen." He said gently, looking down at Teddy with love. I smiled- they were great together.

"I can't sleep until I know that she's okay. Update me when she gets out of surgery, okay?" Teddy told me.

"I will." I promised her. "Now rest, and I'll come back to check on you and update you."

The next few hours were painful. Derek came out to update me when her surgery was done, and he reported that it went relatively smoothly. Her blood pressure had dropped for a few minutes but they managed to stabilise it quickly enough. The only concern that he had, that we all had for that matter, was the fact that it had gone untreated for nearly three days. We couldn't rule out any deficits until she woke up.

So, I sat at Arizona's beside. Between me and her parents, she was never alone. I left only to shower and round quickly on my patients, but Morris had diligently stepped in and everything seemed to be running smoothly, although he was under strict instructions to page me if there was any changes. Knowing that she was stable and had made it through her surgery had finally given me an appetite, and not eating for twenty four hour had started to have an effect on me, so Barb, Daniel and I had been trading off to allow ourselves to eat.

Members of the hospital constantly filtered through the room. The endless flow of interns, residents and Attendings alike never seemed to stop. There were a couple of news reporters loitering around, but Owen was seeing to it that no photos were taken. I knew they'd have questions, and so would the public- this was big news. However I refused to say anything until Arizona had woken up and both she and Teddy had given consent.

"Still not awake?" Daniel asked me as he walked into the room. I knew it was hard for him not to be in control of something so unsure. He was a military man through and through- he liked control and order, just like Arizona did.

"It takes longer after neurosurgical procedures. We don't need to worry yet." I reassured him, turning back to Arizona, who looked a lot healthier now that she was hydrated and receiving sufficient oxygen, although there were still bags under her eyes and she still looked dangerously thin. Her face was still pale and her hands were still cold, but she looked a hell of a lot better than when she first got here.

It gave me chills just thinking about what their experience must have been like. Arizona hated camping, and she had just spent three days stranded in the middle of nowhere. I had caught a brief glimpse of the pilot and co-pilot as they were brought in- they couldn't bring them in to the morgue until a doctor pronounced them dead. I didn't see much, but I knew it had been a mess. There was a lot of blood from what I saw- it mustn't have been nice. And nights were cold in Seattle; I could only imagine what it must have been like to be outside in the cold all night.

Barbara entered the room with a giant balloon that read 'get well soon'. Her eyes were tearful but there was more hope in her expression than there was before. "This room's a bit dull." She said, referring to the plain white wall of the ICU rooms. I nodded in agreement, glad to bring some colour into it. Arizona liked colour. "I called the rest of the family. They all want updates."

"That reminds me!" I said, suddenly sitting up, startling them both. "I need to call my dad. I promised that I would update him." I said, before rushing out of the room. My dad was currently staying at once of his hotels a few blocks away, insisting that he would give us space and come to visit once Arizona woke up.

"Calliope." He answered the phone after it haven't even rung twice.

"She hasn't woken up yet. But it's not something to worry about. The surgery went smoothly and her brain swelling is well down. Tengo la esperanza, papá (I'm hopeful, daddy)." I said with a smile.

"I'm glad, hija." He said, and suddenly I heard raised voices from behind me. I whipped my head around to see Barbara and Daniel leaning over Arizona's bedside, and between them I could see a barely stirring Arizona. My heartrate increased and I felt excitement build up inside me.

"Ella está despertando (she's waking up)!" I quickly hung up, satisfied that my rushed statement had been enough explanation before running into her room. I stepped in beside Barbara and Daniel and look one of her hands in mine. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her eyelids were fluttering slowly, and a small groan escaped her lips.

"M..mm…n…" She groaned quietly, and I stroked her forehead softly.

"Wake up, baby. Come on." I encouraged her, waiting patiently as she opened her eyes. After a few second, those sparkling blue eyes that I had missed so much came into view, and I was glad to make the side note that both of her pupils were reacting normally to the sudden light.

"S-s'too bright." She groaned, screwing her eyes shut tightly to block out the light. Her statement made me laugh out loud, causing her to flinch again.

"Sorry! I'm sorry." I apologized in a whisper. "I've missed your voice." I told her, an uncontrollably big smile spreading over my face. They joy that was swelling up in my heart was like a balloon- she was okay.

She opened her eyes again, and I heard a nurse in the background say something about paging Derek. "Calliope." She croaked, a weak smile spreading on her face. She looked towards her mom and dad and smiled wider. "Mom, dad." She greeted them. "How long have I been out?"

"You were unconscious when you arrived, and it's been about eight hours since your surgery." I told her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"We were so worried about you, sweetie." Barbara said tearfully, still clasping Arizona's hand tightly.

Arizona smiled weakly again. "Don't cry, mom." She said, before coughing and wincing. "Can I have some water?" She requested, and I gladly helped her take a drink from the plastic cup that stood on the tray beside her bed. Once she was done I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. She smiled up at me. "I love you." She said with a smile.

"I love you too."

"Oh, and Calliope?"

"Yeah?"

"We're never, ever going camping."


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note:**

 **Hi guys! I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever (2 months- woops!). Everything got super crazy in the last two months- I do a lot to do with music and we did a production of Hairspray two weeks ago and we also performed in front of 2000 people. The next chapter is halfway finished, so please have some patience! Love you guys!**

 **Happy Existing!**


	16. Chapter 16

The First Time Ever chapter fifteen

For the second time in two years, I found myself confined to a hospital bed. I wasn't allowed to go home and it had been two and a half weeks since they had found us stranded in the woods. The doctor side of me understood that having brain surgery meant that the recovery time was longer, and three surgeries in one put extra strain on my body to recover. That didn't stop the confinement from driving me crazy, though- every single second seemed to drag and it felt like I had been in here forever.

My brain was healing nicely. After the swelling had gone down and the bleed had been cleared up there were no signs of a re-bleed or any more problems. All of the internal bleeding in my stomach had been cleared up for weeks and my wrist was healing according to plan. There had been no reason to keep me in more than two weeks- until, that was, the incision site on my abdomen had become slightly infected. The infection was clearing rapidly but Calliope had become a hypochondriac in the last two weeks and had insisted that I stay in for an extra week. She was lucky I loved her- I was dying to get out of here.

Teddy was also recovering well. She was dealing with it a lot better than I was- although she walked with a slight limp because her leg hadn't completely healed yet, she was able to get up and walk around- the furthest I was allowed to go was to the toilet. She came to visit me every day, telling me all about the gossip of the hospital and the reporters who hounded her for information.

I still couldn't sleep at night. Every time I closed my eyes, the chilling winds of the forest washed over me and it was hard to remember that I wasn't stranded in the middle of nowhere, but in a familiar place surrounded by the familiar faces of the people I loved.

During the day it was better. There were things I could focus my attention on, like patient charts and reading, and most importantly, my proposal to Callie. I didn't want to randomly get down on one knee- no, I had to make it special. Teddy and I planned go ring shopping as soon as I was released from this place, and in the mean time I was planning out how it would all look.

The realisation that I was going to marry Callie had come to me long ago, on the same night as I had first told her I loved her. A quiet moment as we lay huddled up on the couch together, my mind soaring millions of miles away from the movie that was playing. I realised in that moment that I never wanted to experience life without Calliope in it- and in that moment, I knew I was going to marry her one day. And as Teddy and I sat in the woods, not-so patiently awaiting our rescue, the fact that I had waited so long to propose made me slap myself internally.

The thought of a life with Callie made me smile like an idiot- I felt like a teenager all over again, with butterflies in my stomach.

"I'm entering!" The familiar voice of Cristina Yang snapped me out of my thoughts she entered the room with her eyes closed. A few days ago, she had walked in on Callie and I in a rather passionate make-out session. We'd sprung apart immediately, but I believe Cristina's comment on the situation was something along the lines of 'better discharge you soon…'.

"You don't have to announce yourself every time. Callie isn't even here. She went to the cafeteria." I explained, adjusting my position on the bed to allow her to check my abdominal incision, as was part of the daily routine.

"I'm not taking any chances." She said adamantly, shaking her head as if to dispel a bad memory from her mind. I chuckled softly at her sarcasm.

"How's it looking?"

She nodded in approval as she looked over the incision. "Looks pretty much healed to me. If it was up to me you would have been discharged days ago. But I'll have to check with Bailey first- if I don't update her hourly she goes nutso on me."

I smiled. Although all the fuss was completely unnecessary, it was nice to know people cared so much. "I have something to show you." I told her, reaching for my laptop as she discarded her plastic gloves.

"Um, no thank you. I don't swing that way." She said, shaking her head vehemently and holding her hands out.

I swatted her shoulder. "Shut up. Not that. This." I said with a smirk as the image of the ring I had been looking at loaded quickly on the page. Cristina's eyebrows flew up in two perfect arches and her mouth hung open. "What do you think?" I asked.

"Damn, Robbins." She said with a smile.

"Don't say a word to Callie." I warned her, and as if on cue, Callie came strolling through the door with two coffees and a box full of donuts. I made a not-so-subtle effort to slam the laptop shut before she could see it while Cristina did a crappy job at shielding it all from view.

"Hey!" Callie greeted, apparently unfazed. "What about me?" She asked as she set the coffees down and came over to greet me.

"Just talking about how much I love you." I said with a cheesy grin, and I heard Cristina fake gag in the background.

"And that's my cue to leave. I'll go talk to Bailey." She said, shaking her head as the stalked out of the room, mumbling about PDA.

"Why's she going to talk to Bailey?" Callie asked, greeting me with a soft kiss before plopping down on the chair beside me. She was still clad in scrubs after her overnight shift and she was visibly exhausted.

"To see if I can finally be discharged." I revealed with a massive smile. The thought of getting out of here made me want to dance. I was used to being in the hospital, but not being _in_ the hospital. When I was a doctor, I was the one in control. I got to decide if a life could be saved and ow. I followed families through the best and worst moments of their lives. On a daily basis I literally held children's lives in my hands- which although terrifying, was a real rush. So, I suppose it was the doctor side of me that hated not having any control. People were right when they said that doctors make the worst patients.

I looked around the familiar white walls of the hospital room to which I had been confined for two weeks. I was glad I wouldn't reach three. Today I was being released and I was ready to run for the hills, far away from here. I had been given a further week and a half off of work, although I had seen most of my long term patients already. They all signed a highly decorated card, courtesy of Alex Karev. None of them actually knew the details of what had happened to me- although the older kids had a less vague idea- but they knew I was injured.

"Are you ready to go?" Callie asked with a smile as she practically danced into the room, carrying a box to fit all of my stuff in. I laughed.

"I'm not sure who's happier about this. Me or you." I said as I tugged at the lapels of her leather jacket to pull her in for a kiss. The ring I had chosen for her had been put on hold at the nearest jewellery store- Teddy and I were going to pick it up on Sunday while Callie worked. And then, on Monday night a week after, the day I returned to work, I had a proposal planned- in the hospital, since we both worked on Monday nights. The hospital was where we met, where I first realised that I loved her, and where we had made so many good memories. Spending two weeks in hospital had given me a lot of planning time, so essentially anyone who wasn't Callie knew about my plans to propose.

"I have a lot of plans for us tonight…" She murmured into my ear, gently nipping the bottom of my earlobe with her teeth. I leaned in closer to her and breathed in the smell of cocoa butter that was so uniquely her.

"Hmm, what sort of plans?" I whispered huskily. I was about to lean in for another, more passionate kiss when Bailey came storming in, covering her eyes and cringing.

"Didn't I release you? Get outta here!" She exclaimed, storming back out and closing the door with a purposeful slam as she went. I spun around to Callie, kissing her softly before slinging my rucksack onto my bag. This made her frown.

"Um, you're not carrying that." She said defiantly, making me roll my eyes as she took it from me gently.

"I'm fine. My incision is healed and my brain isn't messed up any more." I insisted, holding my hand out for the bag hopefully.

"Um, no. You know as well as I do, no heavy objects for another week." She said with a hum at the end of her sentence as if to prove a point. Rolling my eyes again, I reluctantly handed her the bag and followed her out of the room. I had held an intervention when she mentioned wheeling me out of this place in a wheelchair, and so for the first time, I managed to persuade them to do things my way. I was perfectly comfortable exiting on foot, thank you very much.

Getting home at last was the biggest relief I'd had in two weeks. Our home was a warm and comfortable place- far better than a hospital bed. Being in the hospital constantly reminded me that I had been in a plane crash. Here, however, I could snuggle up on the couch with Callie and forget the world.

Once we got home we unpacked everything that I'd had at the hospital with me- books, clothes, laptop and laptop charger, phone… the list went on and on. The excitement today had eventually taken its toll on me and I was tired beyond belief. I just wanted to take pain meds, lie on the couch with Callie and sleep for four years straight.

"I'm so happy that I came home to you." I told Callie with a soft smile as we lay bundled up on the couch. It was the most comfortable I had been in weeks and everything was a complete contrast to how I was in the woods which was exactly what I needed right now. It was warm and bright with the TV mumbling away in the background and I felt completely safe in Callie's arms. No visions of vultures eating the dead pilot or winds that chilled me to the bone.

"I'm glad too. I love you." She said, placing a soft kiss on the top of my head before refocusing her attention on the television.

"I love you too." I said softly, meaning it wholeheartedly. She was my safe place and I couldn't wait to put a ring on her finger.


	17. Chapter 17

The First Time Ever chapter sixteen

 **A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry it took a while to update (again, sorry!), and it's admittedly not my best writing-wise but life has been stressful. My gran died on boxing day and combined with studying for prelims, it's just been super stressful.**

 **DEEG1291- I'm confused as to what bit confused you lol. Callie's dad had a struggle accepting her sexuality in the beginning, but eventually her came around which was why he was there after the crash. And her mom practically disowned her. And Arizona's parents are both accepting. If I didn't clear it up, please let me know!**

 **Guest- it's rated 'M' because of Arizona's past. I consulted with my then best friend (now girlfriend, whoop) and we agreed that it was best to be safe. But I'm considering moving it down to 'T'. What do you think?**

 **Anyway, without further ado, here's the next chapter- which I'm sure you guys will like. Happy existing (and sorry for this extremely long AN)!**

"Are you sure this is the right one?"

"I'm one hundred thousand percent sure."

Mark and I stood next to the long marble desk that ran the length of the jeweller's shop. I had been overwhelmed by all of the different ring choices when we had first stepped in- from thin bands to thick bands and more types of jewels I could imagine. There were giant, elaborate rings with diamonds that must cost millions, but there were also simpler rings with different shaped jewels. These were the ones I focused my attention on- price wasn't a factor, but Arizona wasn't about the material things- a moderately sized ring suited her perfectly, and it would be easier to pin on to the inside of her scrub top.

The decision to propose to Arizona came easily to me. After everything that had happened in the past month- the plane crash, the recovery- it had become clearer than ever to me that she was the one with whom I wanted to spend my life. Not even a full twenty-four hours after I had decided to propose, Mark and I were out ring shopping. I had expected Mark to be more surprised, however he had just smirked knowingly and simply said 'it's about time.'

"Good. There are only so many rings I can look at without going insane." Mark sighed as if this whole process had been long and torturous. Long, maybe, but torturous, definitely not. I smacked him on the arm playfully before turning to the jeweller who had showcased the rings perfectly for the past hour.

"This one, for sure." I told him defiantly with a mega-watt smile on my face. Now that I had something concrete to prove that I planned on spending the rest of my life with the amazing Arizona Robbins, it didn't feel possible that I could ever me happier in my entire life.

Once we had paid for the ring with a generous tip to the jeweller we made our way out of the store. I had to be back at the hospital in fifteen minutes- it was Arizona's first day back and her shift had started around an hour ago. We had agreed to have lunch together before she had gotten paged in to an emergency surgery, and although I was disappointed that we wouldn't be able to spend time together, it gave me the perfect opportunity to go ring shopping. I had dragged Mark away from his spot at the nurse's station where he was flirting with a random redhead so that he could accompany me.

I still had no idea how I was going to actually propose. In all of my excitement I had forgotten that I actually needed to pop the question. Should I plan a fancy dinner? Should I come up with some weird, creative proposal? Should I just casually ask her in a normal conversation and watch her face process what I had said? Decisions, decisions…

Arizona's parents were planning on visiting in a few weeks. We had been talking over the phone for a while and had agreed that this surprise for Arizona was exactly what she needed. They hadn't been able to stay for too long after the plane crash- but they had made it clear that they would be back soon. It would be good to see them again- I could tell Arizona missed them terribly, although she loved her life in Seattle.

Snapping me out of my reverie, Teddy came rushing up to me, a panicked expression on her face. The smile that had been plastered on my face melted away as I took in her tearful state.

"Callie, you have to come… Arizona…" She said and I felt my heart sink into my stomach. Without any further questions, I ran after Teddy, not even registering where we were going. I struggled to push back the bile that threatened its way up my throat.

After what seemed like a million years, we finally came to a halt outside the cafeteria. As I took in our surroundings my confusion grew and I turned to Teddy for answers.

However, Teddy was smiling, a look of accomplishment covering her face. "Go in." She said.

Catching my breath and preparing myself for what might be waiting for me, I swung the doors to the cafeteria open and gasped at what I saw.

What seemed like everyone in the hospital was gathered in a large group, each person smiling excitedly. Arizona was nowhere in sight and I started to panic.

"What's going on? Why are you all here? Where's Arizona?" I rambled, looking at each member of the crowd individually, but seeing to trace of the person whose presence I craved most.

Suddenly, I felt an arm wrap around my back and I went rigid, before I gradually recognised the scent of the person behind me. I smiled a huge smile and turned around to see Arizona standing there, unharmed, and with a massive smile on her face. "Oh, thank God." I said breathlessly, tugging on her laptop and giving her a bone crushing hug. Her right wrist was still casted but it was scheduled for removal soon. She laughed along with me as my heart rate started to slow down and I began to question, again, why there were loads of people surrounding us.

"You're probably wondering what the hell is going on." Arizona said as she pulled back from me, although she kept hold of my hand, clutching it tightly in hers.

"Somewhere along those lines, yeah." I agreed, continuing to stare right at her.

She took a deep breath, before she began to speak. "Calliope Torres- Callie. Who would ever have thought that when I walked into this place a year ago, that I would be standing here, in front of all these people, rambling like an idiot in a desperate attempt to tell you I love you? Not me, because when I walked in here, I was a mess. My life had become unfamiliar to me and I was lost.

"And then you walked in, and my world flipped. It made me sad to realise that I wasn't the only one who was broken. I knew that I wanted to fix you. And you fixed me too. You brought and continue to bring happiness and light to my life every single day. You make me smile every day, and I would be truly blessed if I had that same light every day for the rest of my life. I love you so very much, so without further ado, will you, Calliope Torres, do me the honour of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"

I stood stock still, tears running down my face and I made no attempt to wipe them away. The happiness and shock that was coursing through my body right now left me paralysed as I stood there, a massive smile plastered across my face. Then, remembering the ring that was lying in my pocket, I burst out laughing. I watched Arizona's face fall.

So as not to scare her too much, I walked over to her and kissed her furiously on the lips, before drawing back and pulling out the ring and opening the box. She gasped as I said, "Absolutely. If you'll marry me too."

She broke down in tears right then and there, throwing her arms around me and whispering 'of course' into my ears repeatedly. As soon as our audience caught wind of what was happening, they erupted into applause. Their purpose there became clear to me as many people set off party poppers and threw confetti.

"I love you." I said as I shook some confetti that Mark had not-so-subtly aimed at me off my shoulder. I drew her in for another kiss and the cafeteria applauded again. Drawing back, I looked into her tear-filled cerulean eyes. "You wanna get out of here?"

She smiled up at me. "Of course."

ARIZONA'S POV

I can't believe it. I'm marrying Calliope Torres! I was beyond happy- and relieved that my elaborate planning had pulled off. It was surprising how many people were available to witness the whole thing. I was also glad that she said yes, because there was no way that I could go another day without putting a ring on her finger.

We made our way home in Callie's car, my hand never leaving hers the whole time. The excitement practically rolled off of us both as approached our apartment.

Reaching the door, I pushed her against the wall and drew her in for a passionate kiss. I had been looking forward to this part the most. "Let's move this inside." I said in a low, husky voice, adrenaline coursing through my body. I quickly used my key to unlock the door.

"SURPRISE!"

This was not what I had been expecting. All our friends, although I had no idea how they had gotten here so fast, were crowded around our living room, all wearing hundred watt smiles. I gasped in shock when I saw my parents at the forefront of the crowd, my mother openly crying as my dad clapped along with everyone else.

"Oh, my God! Mom! Dad! What are you guys doing here?" I asked excitedly as I launched myself towards them, wrapping them both in massive hugs.

"Apparently, our little girl was getting engaged, so we came to celebrate!" My mom exclaimed through her tears. I turned to Callie with a smile.

"Did you know anything about this?" I asked her incredulously. She simply shrugged her shoulders, indicating that she was just as dumbfounded as I was. I looked around the living room, my heart swelling in my chest when I saw everyone who I held closest surrounding us. "How the hell did you guys get here so fast?"

"Language, young lady."

"Sorry, dad."

Teddy stepped forward. "We had getaway cars at every single exit apart from the one from the one you guys used. It was all very action movie-like."

I just laughed incredulously before taking Callie's hand in mine and squeezing it tightly. The crowd gradually dispersed as the conversation between individuals flowed naturally. I didn't let go of Callie's hand the entire time.

As darkness began to break and people needed to go back to the hospital, our apartment gradually emptied and eventually it was only Calliope, my parents and I left.

"So, are you guys staying here? We can easily set up the guest room." I offered, although I silently hoped that they weren't. I loved my parents dearly and I was so glad that they were here, on one of the happiest days of my life so far, but I really needed alone time with Callie, and my parents could never be around for that.

"We booked a hotel a few blocks over. We're here for a week. We figured you guys would need time alone after today." She said, winking. I gasped and buried my head in my hands.

"Mom!" I exclaimed.

"What, so you're not going to have sex?" She said as she raised her eyebrows.

I could feel my face turning bright red. This was so like my mother to embarrass me. "Please leave!"

My father, who had remained stoic the whole time, nodded his head furiously, apparently every bit as mortified as I was. "That sounds great."

And they bade us goodbye and left.

I turned to Callie, who was positively shaking with laughter. "Stop laughing! My mother knows I have sex!"

"So does your father."

"Not helping!"

She smiled and pulled me closer to her so that our foreheads were touching. "We're engaged now, it's no big revelation."

"Engaged. I like the sound of that." I said, biting my lip as I pulled her top up over her head, never breaking eye contact.

"You're going to be my wife."

"I'm going to be your wife."

We clashed our lips together, hastily disposing of our clothes as we made our way to the bedroom. "I love you, Calliope Torres." I said in between kisses.

She smiled up at me. "I love you too, Arizona Robbins."


	18. Chapter 18

The First Time Ever chapter seventeen

 **A/N: Hi guys! I hope you're all having a great 2017! In spite of prelims and music competitions, my 2017 has been relatively mediocre.**

 **First, I don't know if you guys get a notification if I replace a chapter. But if you do, I'll probably be fixing stuff in a few chapters, because, as Nicole pointed out, I'm a massive ding ding who didn't check for plot holes. *facepalms* Thanks Nicole for pointing it out!**

 **Secondly, I have a Wattpad story called 'That Smile'. I'm going to, in a moment of shameless self-promotion, suggest that you guys read. I've been working super hard on it recently.**

 **Also, I'm gonna change the rating of this to 'T'. I set it as 'M' for safety but I think it's safe to lower it.**

 **cmoney13- You're cute. You remind me of my girlfriend… Oh wait.**

ARIZONA'S POV

I could hear them in my sleep. The nightmares that haunted my not-so-peaceful slumber usually consisted of the tiny coffins that were the fate of numerous children I had treated, but now my dreams were the victim of the animals that I had heard fighting over the body of the pilot. Every time I managed to drift off into an easy sleep the images started and I could hear the ravenous growling as they fought over their prey.

This meant that I hadn't been getting much sleep. I knew what would happen when I closed my eyes so I avoided sleep at all costs. Only when it was affecting my work did I finally lay my head on the pillows, but it wasn't much use.

Calliope had suggested that I see a therapist, but I had made it clear that that wasn't for me. I was the doctor, not the patient. Callie was also being spared the details of what happened out there and my feelings about them- she didn't need to know all of that. She didn't deserve to live with something that I barely made it by with myself.

I convinced myself that this would wear off soon. I wasn't an idiot- I knew PTSD was a life-long burden, but in most cases, it faded and only returned when triggered. I was waiting with bated breath until such a time came. I was determined to get my life back to normal, and marry the girl of my dreams.

Calliope was the one thing that never failed to make me smile. Even after my most restless of nights she managed to make me forget about it all with one smile. Never once had I doubted my decision to put a ring on her finger.

I was slouched against the nurse's station in the peds ward, barely able to keep my eyes open. My eyes kept straying away from the chart I was filling in. I had spent the night in an on-call room, trying to get more than an hour's sleep, which was a big fail. Sometimes if I was at home in Callie's arms the nightmares would subside, because I felt truly safe when I was with her. However, I had worked the night shift and was working until five pm today while she slept alone at home.

"Are you okay?" A familiar voice asked from behind me and I spun around to see Teddy standing there. We were working together on a case- fifteen-year-old Jenna Martin, who needed surgery to insert a pacemaker. Her surgery was scheduled for tomorrow morning.

"Yeah. Just tired." I confessed, leaning against the nurse's station and flipping the chart closed.

"Callie told me that she was worried about you. She said you haven't been sleeping."

I sighed. "Callie's a worrier. I'm okay, really. I'm going to check on Jenna, you coming?" I asked her. The lie had slipped off my tongue a lot easier than it should have done. It made me frustrated that I was lying to the people who I loved most. But Teddy had been out there in the woods, too. She probably had her own PTSD to deal with, never mind mine.

"Hey, Jenna!" Teddy exclaimed as we walked into the fifteen-year-old's room. It was just after nine am and breakfast had been served around an hour ago.

"Hi!" She replied cheerily. "How are you guys?"

This made me laugh because that was what we were supposed to be asking her. Jenna was interested in psychology as a career, so she'd told us, and we both agreed that it was a good path for her. She was good at reading people's emotions and she made it a point of asking how we were every day, especially after hearing that we were in a plane crash. It had been all over the news on the week it had happened.

"I'm great. Dr Altman?" I answered, turning around to look at Teddy.

"I'm also great. But, I believe we're the ones who should be asking you that. How are you doing?"

Ten minutes later, we exited Jenna's room with fully updated vitals on our charts. I was counting down the hours until I could leave. I loved my job, but the tiredness was overwhelming and I just wanted to see Callie. Luckily, I didn't have any surgeries scheduled for today.

"Come with me." Teddy told me firmly before she walked off. Wondering what this could possibly be about, I followed her, confused when she led me to an on-call room.

"I know what happens in these rooms." I said matter-of-factly. "I hope you aren't getting your hopes up."

Teddy made a face. "Sure I do, just give me a minute to get my game on." She said and we both laughed. "No, but seriously, I'm a fan of penis." She said with a note of finality as she collapsed onto the bed. I laughed at her antics and sat down beside her.

"Of Henry's penis?"

"Especially Henry's penis."

"Oh, so there are others?"

"Yeah, don't you know that I have two jobs? Kickass cardiothoracic surgeon by day, hooker by night." She said before we both dissolved into a fit of laughter.

"Do you talk to Henry about it?" I asked suddenly. I felt guilty for not letting Callie in and I wanted to know I wasn't the only one. If there was any person in the world that was going to understand then it would be Teddy.

"The plane crash? No. He's so busy with his training. He doesn't need to know all that." She sighed and I nodded.

"I can't bring myself to talk about it with Callie. I know she's dying for me to let her in, but…" I trailed off.

"You can't bring yourself to burden her with stuff like that." Teddy finished for me. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

We stared at the wall opposite for a few minutes. My mind was far away from the on-call room, picturing the endless trees and rivers that we had been trapped amongst. I could only assume that that was what Teddy was thinking about too.

"You haven't been sleeping, have you?" She asked me. I didn't have the energy to lie to her any more.

"No." I said guiltily. "Every time I close my eyes it's like I'm back there, and I can hear the animals…"

Teddy nodded. By this point, we both had tears in our eyes. I knew that I should have talked to Teddy sooner. She was the one person on earth who knew exactly what it was like to be out there.

"For me, I can see all of the spiders. It reminds me of Iraq. They weren't as big in the woods but I couldn't help but think about it…" She admitted.

"I wish I could talk to Callie about it. She doesn't deserve to be shut out."

Teddy nodded in agreement. "Henry has been trying so hard." She said quietly. We sat in silence for a few moments, each of us unsure of what to say next. "Let's make a deal." Teddy proposed. "I'll talk to Henry, and you'll talk to Callie."

I thought about it for a moment. I felt a lot like an alcoholic, creating a twelve-step programme. One simple step at a time.

But, I also realised that this _was_ a twelve-step programme. Surely, if I followed each step, then we could move past this. And opening up to Callie was the simple step one, and how easy it seemed. I looked over at Teddy, who was also thinking intensely. If I couldn't talk to Callie, then I had Teddy. I paused for a moment before gently taking her hand in mine.

"We'll get past this, right?" I asked her, feeling very much like a child. I was extremely grateful for Teddy in this moment. Growing up, my family had moved around- nearly every eighteen months we relocated to a different state. As soon as I made friends I would have to say goodbye to them, so after a while I had stopped making them at all. Timothy had been my best friend regardless of which state we lived in. When he died, I lost my best friend and it broke me.

"We will. Eventually. We just have to wait it out." She said. "It does suck all of the time though. I just want things to go back to normal."

It was three am and I hadn't caught a minute of sleep. Between the fear of being lulled to sleep and the nightmares that came when I finally did, sleep was not happening.

I glanced at Callie's sleeping figure. Taking up the entire right side of the bed, she had the duvet pulled right up to her chin. She was smiling slightly, which was one of my favourite things in the world. Whenever she slept she always had a smile on her face and it took my breath away. I could barely make out the steady rise and fall of her chest through the grainy darkness.

With a last glance at her I slipped out of bed, being careful not to jostle it too much. I padded out of the room and down the hallway, settling at the island in the kitchen with a freshly poured glass of water.

I knew I needed to move past this. The plane crash had been almost two months ago, and I was still struggling to sleep peacefully. But it wasn't as simple as just 'moving on', though. Trauma couldn't be processed because it didn't make sense with what came before it and what came after it. I had learned that two years ago as I tried to rebuild my life after _he_ ruined it, and I was being firmly reminded of it now.

To rid my mind of all the images, I flipped open my laptop which lay on standby on the counter. It had last been opened on a page displaying elegant images of churches and stretches of land that had beautiful views. Callie and I had been looking at it, debating over whether we wanted a church wedding or not.

It was a good distraction. The image of Callie and I in white dresses, up in front of our family and friends and professing our love for each other made me feel giddy with happiness. Despite the traumatic dark cloud that hung over me, that image never failed to make me happy.

The rest of the kitchen was illuminated as the light from our bedroom flickered on. I sighed, realising that my absence had woken Callie up. I rested my head in my hands, and sighed when I felt her arms wrap around me from behind. She placed a gentle kiss on my neck and I melted into her arms.

"Still can't sleep?" She asked sleepily. God, her sleep filled voice was so sexy.

"I tried, but then I kept thinking about you in a white dress…" I trailed off, spinning around on the stool to face her.

"At three am?"

I sighed and looked down. She knew fine well that wedding details wasn't the reason that I was awake at three am. I stood up and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close to me. Her sweet scent of cocoa butter invaded my senses and I breathed it in gladly. Remembering the promise Teddy and I had made, I began talking. "There were animals out there." I said in a quiet, hollow voice that was nearly indistinguishable.

"Hmm?"

"There were animals out there." I repeated, leaning in closer and clinging on to her for dear life. "Fighting over the pilot. And that's all I can hear when I try to sleep."

It was silent for a few moments as Callie processed what I had told her. I screwed my eyes shut to rid the images of the wild animals from my head. I willed to be brought back to reality.

Callie pulled me in closer, stroking my hair lovingly. At some point, I felt tears begin to fall down my face. I wasn't sure if I felt happy or sad or sacred or relieved. But I felt safe. Here in Callie's arms, I was far away from the freezing cold woods. The wolves were miles away from where we stood in a gentle embrace.

"I'm sorry I've been shutting you out." I sobbed, burying my head in her shoulder. "You make me feel safe."

"We'll get through this." She whispered softly. "I love you. And if we need to sleep with the lights on for the rest of our lives, then that's what we'll do. I'm not leaving."

 **Okay, so. I realise this may not be the best writing-wise, but I have things planned. Big things will happen in the next few chapters….**

 **Happy Existing!**


	19. Chapter 19

The First Time Ever chapter seventeen

 **Hi guys! Sorry, again, for taking longer to update. Life has been cu-ray-zee. But I've set a challenge to write 500 words per day, and I've had this storyline planned for a long time.**

 **I highly suggest that you read You're My Star by ImSoCoolIPissIceCubes, who has a hilarious username. I've read it loads of times and I love it. Also, Dead or Something Worse by MaybeIShouldGetACat, who also has a great username. Very dark but very good :)**

 **Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this! Happy existing!**

It was 9:24pm and I had been in the hospital for close to forty-eight hours. I loved my job, I loved the opportunity to save people's lives, but when you work for forty-eight hours straight, you find yourself praying to go home. Even if I could just catch a chance to sleep, even for just an hour, I would be grateful.

The paeds department was relatively quiet around this time of night. While the younger kids were slowly falling asleep, older kids were turning their TVs down and long term patients who had made friends visited each other's rooms and hosted quiet conversations. Their quietly recounted stories accompanied by the gentle whir and the informative beeping of machines made for a dull buzz which resounded through the whole department. I found it comforting, my own subtle anaesthetic.

The past forty-eight hours had been loaded with cases, one particularly catching my attention. Four-year-old Ellie Crane and her fourteen-year-old sister Maya had come straight to the hospital from their foster home. Ellie had type one diabetes and had passed out after refusing her insulin shot. We didn't suspect abuse, just that she was a kid who hated shots. They were both great kids, with great manners and great personalities.

"Their mom left just after Ellie was born, no explanation." The social worker, Jane, had explained to me. "And now Maya won't leave without Ellie."

This I understood. When I was four I would never have gone anywhere without Timothy by my side. Although he was only two years older than I was, he always seemed like an adult to me. Someone who could protect me from the bad guys, from the kindergarteners who pulled my hair to the homophobic ex-friends in high school. He was always by my side, and I could tell without a doubt that if we were ever put into foster care, that we would not leave each other's sides.

Pushing the on-call room door shut carefully, I flopped down on the bed and closed my eyes tightly, exhaustion taking over my every feature. Sleep hadn't been as much of an issue as of late- opening up to Callie had proven to the catalyst for my mental recovery- for the most part, anyway.

Just as I was laying down and resting my head on the pillows, there was a soft knock at the door. "Come in." I called out, throwing my arm over my face to block out the intruding rays that came flooding in from the hallway. I peeked my head out from behind my elbow, smiling when I saw Callie's figure leaning over me. "Hey! I didn't know you were here." I said, greeting her with a kiss.

"I just got paged in, car crash. Quite a few broken bones, but everybody's going to be okay." She said, climbing into the bed beside me. I gladly sunk into her warm embrace.

We were silent for a few minutes, neither of us falling asleep. Although tired, my mind was still running a thousand miles per minute.

"I can practically hear the high-pitched buzz of neurons flying through your brain." Callie chuckled. She knew that I was never one for falling asleep- it wasn't until every last conceivable idea had been thought of that I could finally drift off into dreamland. "What are you thinking about?"

I bit my lip and smiles. Before she had spoken, my mind had been flooding with images of sweet cherub babies. "Babies." I revealed.

"Our babies?" Callie asked, and I could hear the hope in her voice. I smiled at how warm she was to this idea.

"Our babies." I confirmed. "I can imagine them in a big back yard, running around when we chase them. Playing together in a big treehouse." I told her, the images running around my head.

It was quiet for a few seconds. "How do you wanna have kids? Like do you wanna adopt, or…?"

I laughed. "That's the hard part. I can imagine a little you and a little me running around, but I can also imagine all of those poor kids that don't have families." I told her, my mind casting to Ellie and Maya.

"Yeah, I agree." She said. "Well, I guess we'll just have to have ten kids." She said with a note of finality, making me laugh.

"I can't wait for our ten kids." I said, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "You can deal with the diapers, though."

"Hey! Not fair!"

"Hey guys!" I exclaimed as I walked into Ellie's room. I was in a considerably better mood after a good chunk of sleep, plus Callie's… cure for my headache. The conversation about kids had left me in a great mood.

"Hellooo." Maya greeted through a yawn, making me laugh. It was 9:30am, it wasn't like I was waking her up early.

"It's not that early." I pointed out.

"It's also not that easily to get to sleep in hospitals." She retorted with a sly smile.

"There are on-call rooms everywhere. Just sneak into one of those." I advised her. "They're meant for doctors but patients sleep in them all the time. Just make sure you knock before you enter."

Ellie took her opportunity to pipe up. "You came back!"

Both siblings, Ellie in particular due to her naivety, had been dubious about being in a hospital. She seemed scared that I was going to leave. I left my name tag with her every night so that she knew I would come back and get it.

"I did! I told you. I have to get my name tag so I can be a doctor all day." I reminded her, and she handed me the laminated badge that she had been clinging to tightly. I took and clipped it neatly to my lab coat. "Now we can begin. Dr Crane, giggle factor?" I asked Ellie.

"Seven." She replied, making me frown.

"Hmm. We need to work on it. I think some chocolate pudding cups will bring your numbers right up."

It made me sad- no, it made my heart break- to know how much love these two girls possessed. Innocence emanated off of their bodies and left me dumbfounded as to how anybody could simply abandon them. However, I knew that it couldn't possibly be that simple. Maya had mentioned their mother on spontaneous occasions and no bad memory seemed to linger with her.

"My mom used to do cartwheels on the beach with me." She had once revealed, rendering me unsure of how to reply. "And now no one knows exactly how to treat us. What to say when I mention her, whether to ask about her or not."

And then she had walked away.

The hustle and bustle of the hospital cafeteria was just as I expected when I entered it during my lunch break. I knew that I could be paged away at any second so I opted to head straight to the lunch line instead of finding a table first.

"Henry wants to move in together." Teddy exclaimed as she approached me, with no greeting or friendly smile. She collapsed against the counter and began rattling off the story about Henry's proposition. I smiled as I saw her growing gradually more excited about it.

"Did you say yes?" I asked, interrupting her rambling.

"Not yet. I kind of freaked and told him I needed to think."

"Theodora Altman!" I exclaimed, slapping her arm. "You left the poor guy hanging! You love him, right?"

"I do."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

She nodded fiercely and ran off, and Alex Karev came sauntering up to replace her. "What's got into Altman?"

I laughed. "Nothing, it's nothing. What's up?"

"Well, I see you're doing a fundoplication later…" He trailed off, making his intended question clear. I narrowed my eyes, considering this possibility. My mind flicked to the stack of charts lying untouched on my desk.

"There's a stack of charts on my desk." I told him, handing him my key. "If you get them done and can give me a full run down of the surgery, then you can scrub in." I said and he nodded.

"Thanks." He said, before walking off. I smiled as he went. Alex Karev may seem like an asshole from the outside, but I had come to see the sensitive side of him, the amazing surgeon and great with kids side. His babies would be so foul-mouthed and cute.

Finally, I made it to the end of the lunch line and I picked up a salad, which I had learned was the only safe bet in terms of cafeteria food. My mind flashed back to Callie and I's dinner date that night and I smiled. If, on that night, someone had told me that that amazing woman would one day be my fiancé, I would have laughed. The idea that I could be so lucky seemed inconceivable to me. The diamond ring on my finger still stood out to me every time I looked down at it.

Sitting down at a table in a corner, I absently ate my salad while sifting through some paperwork. The change of scenery from my office was nice. However, I couldn't make myself concentrate and found myself people watching, listing all the gossip I knew about each person that passed my table. I frowned when I saw Maya sitting alone, absentmindedly picking at her own food, clearly in another world. Deciding to say hello, I picked up my own tray and paperwork and made my way over.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?"

She looked up in surprise, the dazed look evaporating from her face, and nodded nervously. "Sure."

"How's Ellie doing?" I asked her, sifting through my salad and putting all the tomatoes to the side. I hated tomatoes with a passion- the very thought of them made my skin crawl.

"She keeps asking if we can go to the playground. She hasn't refused any more shots." She told me cheerfully.

"She should be discharged soon." I said. "As soon as Jane figures everything out."

Maya frowned. "I can tell she's losing her patience with me. I've had three families offer to foster me, one even offered to go straight through with adoption, but I can't leave Ellie. She's so small and innocent and I might not get to see her again."

I could tell she was getting emotional. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I get it. It's completely understandable. I would have never been separated with my brother when I was fourteen."

She nodded, seeming relieved that I understood. "Do you have kids?"

I smiled, thinking about the conversation Callie and I had last night. "Not yet, but it's definitely in the cards."

"Your kids will probably talk like rainbows are coming out of their asses, too."

I laughed. "Language." I reprimanded.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly, twirling the straw of her soda cup around nervously. Wat I had learned from my time with Maya is that she was very confident on the outside, not afraid to ask questions and speak up, but on the inside, she was a naturally nervous person, which I noticed through her little nervous habits. Nail biting was the most prominent one.

"You're fourteen, right? Any plans on what you want to do after school?"

"Nearly fifteen." She said, smirking. "I kinda wanna do music, but I don't play an instrument any more. The foster home doesn't fund it, apparently."

My heart broke for her. "Isn't there some kind of bursary you can get?"

She shrugged, not looking me in the eye. "Maybe, but I haven't been told about any."

"I would ask about it. I got one for piano in high school."

Her eyebrows shot up into her bangs. "You played piano?"

"Yeah. Didn't really do anything with it, though." I admitted. Finishing my salad, I closed she box and folded my arms across my chest.

"Literally nobody I know is musical." She complained. "They just think that sharps are hashtags."

"My fiancé, Callie, has an amazing voice. It's a shame she doesn't know the difference between a sharp and a hashtag." I said, making us both laugh. Just then, the high-pitched beeping of my pager started screaming for attention. Consult in the ER. "I gotta go, but I'll be by to check on Ellie once I'm done, so I'll see you then."

"Okay. Have fun." She said with a smile before I walked off with a smile on my face.

 **So what d'you guys think of Maya? Please leave (preferably nice) reviews!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys… Sorry, again, for the longer update time. Life is spiralling in every single direction except the one I can see and it's all very confusing right now. Plus, exams are in full-swing here. But, the light at the end of the tunnel is approaching and summer is just around the corner, and I'm 100% sure that I will be more motivated to write when school is done. So please, bear with me.**

"But we could get them to learn any songs we wanted. And have you seen their song list? Every single song I could imagine is in here!" I argued, flapping the pastel green leaflet in Callie's face. We were currently arguing over whether a live band or a DJ would be better for our wedding. It wasn't really and argument so much as a debate, and as the took longer and longer to consider my points I could tell she was warming up to the idea.

"How about we get both?" She suggested, flipping her laptop around to face me. It was approaching two am and we were both situated on our respective sides of the bed, researching which music options we thought were best. Our wedding was going to be on December 12th, four months from now. We had both decided that we didn't want a long engagement. Due to our hectic schedule as surgeons, planning had been put off, but thanks to our newly hired wedding planner, Anna, things were back on track and our excitement was flooding.

Callie and I had both found dresses about a month ago. Catering had been organised, invitations had been sent out, colour themes had been debated over and chosen, bridal parties had been recruited and our venue had been selected. A hotel around a half hour from the hospital, with a spectacular view of the lake, which in winter was supposed to be beautiful.

"What do you mean, both?" I asked, my brows furrowed in confusion. Her solution was probably simple, but due to my lack of sleep my brain was full of fuzz and the slightest complexity was hard to comprehend.

"We have a live band and a DJ. Whatever the band can play, they'll play, and they'll swap around with the DJ every so often so that they can play song requests that maybe the band don't know."

"Would they be willing to do that?" I asked.

She shrugged. "We're paying them for it, they can do their job even if it means they might be bored. We'll offer to feed them."

I laughed at her suggestion. "You wanna bribe them with food? Sounds great." I chuckled, before nodding. "That's a good idea."

She looked me in the eye for a second. "See? We'll be great at this married couple stuff. We disagreed, we discussed, and we compromised. Marriage 101."

"You'll be a great wife." I told her as I cleared all the papers from our bed, slotting them carefully into the drawer in the bedside cabinet. Callie shut her laptop off and reached over to turn the lamp off before gathering me up in her arms.

"So will you."

"How are Ellie and Maya doing?" Callie asked me over breakfast the next day, or should I say the same day, just later in the morning.

I sighed. "Ellie's doing well, but Maya's anaemic. She's only fourteen and she's freaking anaemic." I told her, feeling a pang of annoyance in my gut. These two girls were some of the nicest girls I had ever met, they didn't deserve this.

Callie smiled sympathetically. She knew that I had become attached to these girls. "I don't understand why their mother would just leave like that. They sound like amazing girls."

"They are. So many people have offered to foster them, but they won't leave without each other. Nobody really wants two children at one time." I sighed. It was quiet for a moment before Callie eventually spoke up.

"Do we, though?" She asked, and I had to admit I wasn't listening to her properly. I swung my stool around to face her.

"What?"

She took my hands in hers. "We've always talked about having kids. A house full of them." She begun, before the high-pitched beeping of her pager rudely interrupted us. She sighed, squeezing my hands tightly. "Look, I haven't met them, but they seem like good kids. I'm not saying 'let's adopt them right now', but just think about it. Introduce me to them later. I love you." She said, kissing me on the lips softly before rushing out. I barely had time to call 'I love you' back before the door slammed closed behind her.

In her absence, I did nothing but stare at the wall and contemplate the possibly changing future of my entire life. Of _our_ entire life. Although the idea, as much as it shocked me, was an obvious one. I could imagine Maya and Ellie being ours… But then again, it was such a big move. Hell, Callie hadn't even met them yet. We weren't married yet.

But as Callie had said, we were only considering the possibility. I shook my head thoroughly to dispel any doubt, and I followed Callie's footsteps at a much slower pace, gathering all of the essentials that I would need for a day at work. I was on until midnight tonight, and I didn't start for another two hours, but with Callie already gone I figured I would just head in early and get some charting out of the way.

The first thing I spotted when I walked through the main entrance of the hospital was the one and only Teddy Altman standing with Henry next to her, and I smirked. With her back turned to me, she didn't have any idea I was there. I made eye contact with Henry over her shoulder and held my finger to my lips in a silent gesture for him to ignore my presence.

I crept up silently behind her and with a deep breath, I grabbed her shoulders from behind and yelled.

"Boo!"

She let out a massive gasp and it was all fun and games for about two milliseconds until she jumped violently and her elbow made contact with my face. I doubled over, clutching my now bleeding nose, as she realised what she had done and started apologising profusely.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Let me see." She instructed, and I straightened up and uncovered my face. It hurt like hell, but I guess it served me right.

"Serves me right, I guess. You have good elbow power." I chuckled, pinching the bridge of my nose in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.

"Is that a complement?"

Twenty minutes later found Teddy, Henry, Callie and I in an empty exam room. My nose wasn't broken at all, but it wouldn't be a pretty sight to look at for the next week or so. I looked in the mirror at my now blotchily bruised face and cringed.

"Nice job, Altman." I said sarcastically, shooting daggers at her across the mirror. She simply raised her hands up in surrender.

"Entirely your fault. It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt."

"Okay, _mom._ " I sighed, rolling my eyes.

Henry took his turn to pipe up. "Ew, don't call my girlfriend mom."

"I'm leaving." I announced, standing up. I turned to Callie and kissed her softly, running my hands through her hair.

"PDA!" Teddy shouted.

"I'll see you later." I said, kissing her again, completely ignoring Teddy.

"Are you sure you're okay, though? Do you feel dizzy or anything?" She fretted, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. I chuckled gently and leant my forehead against hers.

"I'm fine, I promise." I assured her, planting a kiss on her forehead before walking out, but not without flicking Teddy on the forehead first.

"Children, all of you!" I heard Callie exclaim loudly as I walked out, and I smiled at her worrisome ways before heading up to the peds floor.

Just as I reached the peds floor I was instantly met by Alex Karev, who was laden with a stack-full of charts. His face dropped when he saw my face. "Dude…" He trailed off.

"Never sneak up on Teddy Altman." I simply warned him. "I'm going to see Ellie and Maya." I told him, walking determinedly in the direction of my two favourite patients.

"What happened to your face?" Was the first question Maya asked when I walked into the room. She was sitting on the edge of Ellie's bad, her legs dangling off the edge, while Ellie recounted her version of _Frozen._ Jane, the social worker, was out by the nurse's station, immersed in a phone call which seemed to be business related, from what I had heard when I walked by her.

"I sneaked up on a friend and regretted it instantly when her elbow made contact with my face." I explained, and her face visibly relaxed. Clearly, she'd had a more dramatic story in mind. "What did you have for breakfast?" I asked her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Slice of toast and some blueberries from Ellie's plate." She told me, and I frowned, giving her a stern gaze.

"Not much iron in there, young lady." I scolded gently and she just shrugged.

"I wasn't hungry, honest. At least it's _some_ iron." She protested, and I made a sound of agreement in the back of my throat before turning to Ellie.

"And what about you, younger lady?" I asked her, and she smiled up at me. Her big blue eyes were always alight with curiosity.

"I watched Frozen." She said simply.

"Oh yeah? And how are you feeling?" I asked her, to which she continued to smile.

"Good. Short Hair gave me a shot this morning, it didn't hurt." She recounted, and I laughed. She was terrible at remembering the names of the nurses, and instead took to mark their existence by their prominent features. Lizzie, one of my favourite scrub nurses, was also Ellie's favourite nurse who just so happened to have a pixie cut.

"That's Lizzie, you mean." I corrected her. It made be both sad and happy to see that she was doing so well. It obviously made me happy that she was thriving once again and that these shots didn't seem to be an issue, but that also meant that she would be discharged soon: I wasn't ready to let them go, and Maya's anaemia wasn't reason enough to keep her admitted.

"I'm gonna bring Callie by later, by the way." I told them both, and they both perked up considerably. Although they had never actually met Callie, they had heard plenty of stories about her from me, and it wasn't seldom that they would ask when they could meet her.

"Finally." Maya remarked and I smiled at her, my mind flicking once again to my conversation with Callie that morning.

"Callie Callie Callie!" I exclaimed excitedly as I rolled up on my wheely sneaks beside her where she was standing by the nurse's station, writing out a prescription. Her face broke out into a smile when she saw me approaching. I used the edge of the station to stop myself.

"What what what?" She asked, an amused smirk on her face. She looked down at my shoes and frowned. "You know I hate those shoes. You're already injured enough." She pointed out.

I shrugged my shoulders. "From a completely unrelated incident. Speaking of which, you have no idea how many times I've had to tell that story today. Anyway, what are you up to right now?"

Her eyes widened. "Slow down, Speedy Gonzalez. Less than a thousand words per minute, please. I'm just finishing up some charting. Why?"

"We're going to see Maya and Ellie." I announced, grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her with me. She smiled and simply followed my lead. Before we entered the room, I turned to her with a nervous smile. "I know our conversation topic this morning was only a maybe. But I've got my hopes up even though I tried not to. So please, tell me you're sure?" I asked her, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth.

She took my hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure about this. I have doubts, yes, and it scares the hell out of me, yes, but I'm sure I want to try." She said simply, walking into the room before me. This time when I walked in, Maya was nowhere to be seen and Ellie was colouring a blur of very bright colours, with assistance from Lizzie. From what I could see from the outline of the picture, it was a butterfly.

"Zona!" Ellie exclaimed cheerfully, abandoning her drawing to instead run powerfully towards me, wrapping her arms around my legs and holding on for dear life. "I missed you!"

I pried her arms from around my legs and instead crouched down to her level and placed an affectionate hand on her hair. "I've only been gone for half an hour, silly bean." I laughed, and she rolled her eyes, something I didn't even know that four-year-olds knew how to do.

"A looong half an hour." She sighed. I looked around, looking for Maya. I knew fine well that she wasn't in here, because there was nowhere she could exactly hide, so instead I asked Ellie.

"Where's your sister?" I asked her, and she pointed toward the door and giggled.

"She's right there, silly." She laughed and I stood up and spun around to see Maya leaning against the doorframe, smiling mischievously.

"How long have you been there?" I asked, wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug.

"Ages. I'm like a ninja!" She smirked and Ellie laughed loudly. "Jane wanted to talk, about the options we have." She exclaimed. I nodded, and looked at Callie, who was standing in the corner, intently watching the whole interaction.

"Girls, this is Callie. Callie Torres. My fiancée." I introduced her, taking her hand in mine. Maya smiled shyly and said hello while Ellie just looked confused.

"What's a fo-ncy?" She asked, her face screwing up in curiosity.

"It means we're going to get married." I said, bending down to show her the ring on my left hand. Normally, while I was at work, I left it in my locker in case of emergency surgeries, but I hadn't gotten around to removing it yet.

"Oooh that's pretty!" She exclaimed, examining it closely.

"So, you're a doctor, too?" Maya asked Callie, bringing up a titbit of information I had given her prior to the meeting, as if the navy-blue scrubs and lab coat hadn't given it away.

Callie smiled. "Yeah, orthopaedic surgeon. I fix bones." She added, just as Ellie was about to ask what it meant.

"That's so cool! Do you have to, like, set them back in place? Because I broke my arm when I was eight and they had to set it back in place and it was _so cool."_ She said in wonder, while Callie and I exchanged incredulous glances.

"Did it not hurt like hell?" Callie asked and Maya shrugged.

"Yeah, it hurt a lot, still cool, though." She said nonchalantly.

Ellie piped up. "I want to be a teacher when I grow up." She told Callie seriously, as if the nature of her future all depended upon whether Callie knew this fact.

"Oh really? I was nearly a teacher. But then I wanted to be a doctor instead."

That night as we climbed into bed, Callie wrapped her arms around me from behind. "I think we should talk to Jane tomorrow." She revealed, and we both had smiles that lit up the room.

"Really?"

"Really." She nodded. "Those girls are amazing, you were right. They don't deserve everything that's happened to them, and we can make it better."

"I'm not sure if I'm extremely excited, or just scared shitless." I admitted, taking in her sweet cocoa butter smell. I loved that smell, and I loved how it lingered. On her pillow, on our duvet, around our apartment. It made it feel like home.

"We can be both. But this is the right thing to do."

I untangled myself from her arms and turned around on to my other side to face her. I examined her features, every line and freckle that fell upon her beautiful face. I kissed her softly. I felt the exhaustion from the day's events sink in, most likely aided by the painkillers I had taken for my nose. Callie chuckled quietly.

"I have no idea how you can fall asleep so quickly. You have no tolerance for pain medication."

"No mocking, you bat."

"A bat?"

"Yeah. You're nocturnal."

"You're worse, you're a morning person."

I smirked. "At least I'm not a grump." I said, sticking my tongue out and rolling back over. I heard her laugh loudly next to me.

"You're so immature." She laughed, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and pulling me in closer.

"Goodnight, Calliope."

"Goodnight, Arizona."

 **And that concludes another chapter. Nothing too heavy, just some fluff. Do you guys like the Elllie/Maya storyline? Let me know!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys… Sorry, again, for the longer update time. Life is spiralling in every single direction except the one I can see and it's all very confusing right now. Plus, exams are in full-swing here. But, the light at the end of the tunnel is approaching and summer is just around the corner, and I'm 100% sure that I will be more motivated to write when school is done. So please, bear with me.**

 **Also, my computer was acting up, so I had to delete and re-upload this chapter. Sorry for any confusion!**

"But we could get them to learn any songs we wanted. And have you seen their song list? Every single song I could imagine is in here!" I argued, flapping the pastel green leaflet in Callie's face. We were currently arguing over whether a live band or a DJ would be better for our wedding. It wasn't really and argument so much as a debate, and as the took longer and longer to consider my points I could tell she was warming up to the idea.

"How about we get both?" She suggested, flipping her laptop around to face me. It was approaching two am and we were both situated on our respective sides of the bed, researching which music options we thought were best. Our wedding was going to be on December 12th, four months from now. We had both decided that we didn't want a long engagement. Due to our hectic schedule as surgeons, planning had been put off, but thanks to our newly hired wedding planner, Anna, things were back on track and our excitement was flooding.

Callie and I had both found dresses about a month ago. Catering had been organised, invitations had been sent out, colour themes had been debated over and chosen, bridal parties had been recruited and our venue had been selected. A hotel around a half hour from the hospital, with a spectacular view of the lake, which in winter was supposed to be beautiful.

"What do you mean, both?" I asked, my brows furrowed in confusion. Her solution was probably simple, but due to my lack of sleep my brain was full of fuzz and the slightest complexity was hard to comprehend.

"We have a live band and a DJ. Whatever the band can play, they'll play, and they'll swap around with the DJ every so often so that they can play song requests that maybe the band don't know."

"Would they be willing to do that?" I asked.

She shrugged. "We're paying them for it, they can do their job even if it means they might be bored. We'll offer to feed them."

I laughed at her suggestion. "You wanna bribe them with food? Sounds great." I chuckled, before nodding. "That's a good idea."

She looked me in the eye for a second. "See? We'll be great at this married couple stuff. We disagreed, we discussed, and we compromised. Marriage 101."

"You'll be a great wife." I told her as I cleared all the papers from our bed, slotting them carefully into the drawer in the bedside cabinet. Callie shut her laptop off and reached over to turn the lamp off before gathering me up in her arms.

"So will you."

"How are Ellie and Maya doing?" Callie asked me over breakfast the next day, or should I say the same day, just later in the morning.

I sighed. "Ellie's doing well, but Maya's anaemic. She's only fourteen and she's freaking anaemic." I told her, feeling a pang of annoyance in my gut. These two girls were some of the nicest girls I had ever met, they didn't deserve this.

Callie smiled sympathetically. She knew that I had become attached to these girls. "I don't understand why their mother would just leave like that. They sound like amazing girls."

"They are. So many people have offered to foster them, but they won't leave without each other. Nobody really wants two children at one time." I sighed. It was quiet for a moment before Callie eventually spoke up.

"Do we, though?" She asked, and I had to admit I wasn't listening to her properly. I swung my stool around to face her.

"What?"

She took my hands in hers. "We've always talked about having kids. A house full of them." She begun, before the high-pitched beeping of her pager rudely interrupted us. She sighed, squeezing my hands tightly. "Look, I haven't met them, but they seem like good kids. I'm not saying 'let's adopt them right now', but just think about it. Introduce me to them later. I love you." She said, kissing me on the lips softly before rushing out. I barely had time to call 'I love you' back before the door slammed closed behind her.

In her absence, I did nothing but stare at the wall and contemplate the possibly changing future of my entire life. Of _our_ entire life. Although the idea, as much as it shocked me, was an obvious one. I could imagine Maya and Ellie being ours… But then again, it was such a big move. Hell, Callie hadn't even met them yet. We weren't married yet.

But as Callie had said, we were only considering the possibility. I shook my head thoroughly to dispel any doubt, and I followed Callie's footsteps at a much slower pace, gathering all of the essentials that I would need for a day at work. I was on until midnight tonight, and I didn't start for another two hours, but with Callie already gone I figured I would just head in early and get some charting out of the way.

The first thing I spotted when I walked through the main entrance of the hospital was the one and only Teddy Altman standing with Henry next to her, and I smirked. With her back turned to me, she didn't have any idea I was there. I made eye contact with Henry over her shoulder and held my finger to my lips in a silent gesture for him to ignore my presence.

I crept up silently behind her and with a deep breath, I grabbed her shoulders from behind and yelled.

"Boo!"

She let out a massive gasp and it was all fun and games for about two milliseconds until she jumped violently and her elbow made contact with my face. I doubled over, clutching my now bleeding nose, as she realised what she had done and started apologising profusely.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Let me see." She instructed, and I straightened up and uncovered my face. It hurt like hell, but I guess it served me right.

"Serves me right, I guess. You have good elbow power." I chuckled, pinching the bridge of my nose in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.

"Is that a complement?"

Twenty minutes later found Teddy, Henry, Callie and I in an empty exam room. My nose wasn't broken at all, but it wouldn't be a pretty sight to look at for the next week or so. I looked in the mirror at my now blotchily bruised face and cringed.

"Nice job, Altman." I said sarcastically, shooting daggers at her across the mirror. She simply raised her hands up in surrender.

"Entirely your fault. It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt."

"Okay, _mom._ " I sighed, rolling my eyes.

Henry took his turn to pipe up. "Ew, don't call my girlfriend mom."

"I'm leaving." I announced, standing up. I turned to Callie and kissed her softly, running my hands through her hair.

"PDA!" Teddy shouted.

"I'll see you later." I said, kissing her again, completely ignoring Teddy.

"Are you sure you're okay, though? Do you feel dizzy or anything?" She fretted, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. I chuckled gently and leant my forehead against hers.

"I'm fine, I promise." I assured her, planting a kiss on her forehead before walking out, but not without flicking Teddy on the forehead first.

"Children, all of you!" I heard Callie exclaim loudly as I walked out, and I smiled at her worrisome ways before heading up to the peds floor.

Just as I reached the peds floor I was instantly met by Alex Karev, who was laden with a stack-full of charts. His face dropped when he saw my face. "Dude…" He trailed off.

"Never sneak up on Teddy Altman." I simply warned him. "I'm going to see Ellie and Maya." I told him, walking determinedly in the direction of my two favourite patients.

"What happened to your face?" Was the first question Maya asked when I walked into the room. She was sitting on the edge of Ellie's bad, her legs dangling off the edge, while Ellie recounted her version of _Frozen._ Jane, the social worker, was out by the nurse's station, immersed in a phone call which seemed to be business related, from what I had heard when I walked by her.

"I sneaked up on a friend and regretted it instantly when her elbow made contact with my face." I explained, and her face visibly relaxed. Clearly, she'd had a more dramatic story in mind. "What did you have for breakfast?" I asked her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Slice of toast and some blueberries from Ellie's plate." She told me, and I frowned, giving her a stern gaze.

"Not much iron in there, young lady." I scolded gently and she just shrugged.

"I wasn't hungry, honest. At least it's _some_ iron." She protested, and I made a sound of agreement in the back of my throat before turning to Ellie.

"And what about you, younger lady?" I asked her, and she smiled up at me. Her big blue eyes were always alight with curiosity.

"I watched Frozen." She said simply.

"Oh yeah? And how are you feeling?" I asked her, to which she continued to smile.

"Good. Short Hair gave me a shot this morning, it didn't hurt." She recounted, and I laughed. She was terrible at remembering the names of the nurses, and instead took to mark their existence by their prominent features. Lizzie, one of my favourite scrub nurses, was also Ellie's favourite nurse who just so happened to have a pixie cut.

"That's Lizzie, you mean." I corrected her. It made be both sad and happy to see that she was doing so well. It obviously made me happy that she was thriving once again and that these shots didn't seem to be an issue, but that also meant that she would be discharged soon: I wasn't ready to let them go, and Maya's anaemia wasn't reason enough to keep her admitted.

"I'm gonna bring Callie by later, by the way." I told them both, and they both perked up considerably. Although they had never actually met Callie, they had heard plenty of stories about her from me, and it wasn't seldom that they would ask when they could meet her.

"Finally." Maya remarked and I smiled at her, my mind flicking once again to my conversation with Callie that morning.

"Callie Callie Callie!" I exclaimed excitedly as I rolled up on my wheely sneaks beside her where she was standing by the nurse's station, writing out a prescription. Her face broke out into a smile when she saw me approaching. I used the edge of the station to stop myself.

"What what what?" She asked, an amused smirk on her face. She looked down at my shoes and frowned. "You know I hate those shoes. You're already injured enough." She pointed out.

I shrugged my shoulders. "From a completely unrelated incident. Speaking of which, you have no idea how many times I've had to tell that story today. Anyway, what are you up to right now?"

Her eyes widened. "Slow down, Speedy Gonzalez. Less than a thousand words per minute, please. I'm just finishing up some charting. Why?"

"We're going to see Maya and Ellie." I announced, grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her with me. She smiled and simply followed my lead. Before we entered the room, I turned to her with a nervous smile. "I know our conversation topic this morning was only a maybe. But I've got my hopes up even though I tried not to. So please, tell me you're sure?" I asked her, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth.

She took my hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure about this. I have doubts, yes, and it scares the hell out of me, yes, but I'm sure I want to try." She said simply, walking into the room before me. This time when I walked in, Maya was nowhere to be seen and Ellie was colouring a blur of very bright colours, with assistance from Lizzie. From what I could see from the outline of the picture, it was a butterfly.

"Zona!" Ellie exclaimed cheerfully, abandoning her drawing to instead run powerfully towards me, wrapping her arms around my legs and holding on for dear life. "I missed you!"

I pried her arms from around my legs and instead crouched down to her level and placed an affectionate hand on her hair. "I've only been gone for half an hour, silly bean." I laughed, and she rolled her eyes, something I didn't even know that four-year-olds knew how to do.

"A looong half an hour." She sighed. I looked around, looking for Maya. I knew fine well that she wasn't in here, because there was nowhere she could exactly hide, so instead I asked Ellie.

"Where's your sister?" I asked her, and she pointed toward the door and giggled.

"She's right there, silly." She laughed and I stood up and spun around to see Maya leaning against the doorframe, smiling mischievously.

"How long have you been there?" I asked, wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug.

"Ages. I'm like a ninja!" She smirked and Ellie laughed loudly. "Jane wanted to talk, about the options we have." She exclaimed. I nodded, and looked at Callie, who was standing in the corner, intently watching the whole interaction.

"Girls, this is Callie. Callie Torres. My fiancée." I introduced her, taking her hand in mine. Maya smiled shyly and said hello while Ellie just looked confused.

"What's a fo-ncy?" She asked, her face screwing up in curiosity.

"It means we're going to get married." I said, bending down to show her the ring on my left hand. Normally, while I was at work, I left it in my locker in case of emergency surgeries, but I hadn't gotten around to removing it yet.

"Oooh that's pretty!" She exclaimed, examining it closely.

"So, you're a doctor, too?" Maya asked Callie, bringing up a titbit of information I had given her prior to the meeting, as if the navy-blue scrubs and lab coat hadn't given it away.

Callie smiled. "Yeah, orthopaedic surgeon. I fix bones." She added, just as Ellie was about to ask what it meant.

"That's so cool! Do you have to, like, set them back in place? Because I broke my arm when I was eight and they had to set it back in place and it was _so cool."_ She said in wonder, while Callie and I exchanged incredulous glances.

"Did it not hurt like hell?" Callie asked and Maya shrugged.

"Yeah, it hurt a lot, still cool, though." She said nonchalantly.

Ellie piped up. "I want to be a teacher when I grow up." She told Callie seriously, as if the nature of her future all depended upon whether Callie knew this fact.

"Oh really? I was nearly a teacher. But then I wanted to be a doctor instead."

That night as we climbed into bed, Callie wrapped her arms around me from behind. "I think we should talk to Jane tomorrow." She revealed, and we both had smiles that lit up the room.

"Really?"

"Really." She nodded. "Those girls are amazing, you were right. They don't deserve everything that's happened to them, and we can make it better."

"I'm not sure if I'm extremely excited, or just scared shitless." I admitted, taking in her sweet cocoa butter smell. I loved that smell, and I loved how it lingered. On her pillow, on our duvet, around our apartment. It made it feel like home.

"We can be both. But this is the right thing to do."

I untangled myself from her arms and turned around on to my other side to face her. I examined her features, every line and freckle that fell upon her beautiful face. I kissed her softly. I felt the exhaustion from the day's events sink in, most likely aided by the painkillers I had taken for my nose. Callie chuckled quietly.

"I have no idea how you can fall asleep so quickly. You have no tolerance for pain medication."

"No mocking, you bat."

"A bat?"

"Yeah. You're nocturnal."

"You're worse, you're a morning person."

I smirked. "At least I'm not a grump." I said, sticking my tongue out and rolling back over. I heard her laugh loudly next to me.

"You're so immature." She laughed, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and pulling me in closer.

"Goodnight, Calliope."

"Goodnight, Arizona."

 **And that concludes another chapter. Nothing too heavy, just some fluff. Do you guys like the Elllie/Maya storyline? Let me know!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hi guys! I'm sorry I took so long to update. But my exams are done and summer holidays start soon, so updates will be more regular. I'm going on holiday for the next three weeks, but I'll try to update this and Walking Through Fire as much as I can. We're travelling to Bali for a week and then to Australia for two weeks, so I'll have a lot of waiting around airport time in which I can write. There's a 14 hour flight, I may write a whole novel haha.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all are having a lovely June, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Happy existing!**

Wallpaper was stuck to the walls with the intricacy that only surgeons could achieve. Each tiny mural had been painted delicately and each decal hung with precision. The soft mix of pastel orange and chalky whites formed a subtle aesthetic on every wall of the room. The dark mahogany furniture matched perfectly.

Arizona looked at her work, triumph plastered on her face. The left side of her face felt stiff and rough due to the splatter of paint that covered her cheek. Her hair was standing up on all ends and her clothes were completely trashed, but none of those minor details concerned her, because the rooms were done.

After several long, emotional conversations with numerous social workers, they had finally been given the go ahead to file for the adoption of Ellie and Maya. They were currently fostering them- day trips, the occasional sleepover, but the long-term goal was for Callie and Arizona to have full custody of the two girls. To start their family in a way they never thought they would be, but couldn't be happier about. They fell more and more in love with the girls every single day- they couldn't stand to be let down. So, they were fighting with all their might.

Maya's room was composed mainly of a navy blue colour, with white furniture to contrast. On the wall opposite the door, there were multiple silver music notes printed onto the wall. It didn't quite feel like home yet, but Callie and Arizona both knew that as soon as Maya's quirks, different likes and interests slowly made themselves home, then the room would truly be hers.

Ellie's room was a complete contrast to Maya's. It was painted a pastel cantaloupe colour, with the white silhouettes of different animals painted on. Callie and Arizona had spent a fortune on paints and decals and furniture, but the end result that they stared at was worth every penny.

Jane had warned them to be ready for a visit from a social worker at any moment. They had handed in their schedule for the next few weeks, and although they had made it clear that their hours were unpredictable, they were supposed to be ready for a visit at all times.

"For all they know, we could be junkies who boil bunnies for dinner!" Arizona had exclaimed one night will Callie grumbled about not being able to have a scheduled time.

"We're surgeons. And potentially parents. We wouldn't have time to boil bunnies even if we wanted to." Callie had pointed out, lifting her head to adjust her pillow and pulling her blankets closer around herself.

Looking back on the memory, Arizona smiled softly. It was the news of home visits that had spurred them into actions in regards of the girls' bedrooms. They planned to move into a house when they were married, but for now the rooms in their apartment would do. They had taken inspiration not only from Maya and Ellie's personalities but from home décor magazines. Arizona, for the first time, felt as if she was in control of something during this whole adoption process. It was hard to remain optimistic when there was so much that was out of their hands.

It was a surgeon's job to be in control. On the worst days of people's lives, they turned to doctors, nurses and surgeons to be their source of calm. Good men in a storm. In her professional life, Arizona had the ability to control a life or death situation, to make hell freeze over and work miracles. After her attack, that form of control had been her own personal brand of heroin. But with this process, the adoption of the two most important people in her life, nothing was in her hands. All she could do was convince a judge that she and Callie were good people.

When she had voiced her worries to Teddy, the taller blonde had grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "You and Callie are already their parents. You both save lives for a living. You got this. Stay calm." She had said. That particular sequence of sentences had become a sort of mantra between Callie and Arizona. Whenever either of them freaked out, those words were recited and it made it easier to calm down.

Arizona's chain of thought was interrupted when Callie shuffled in to the room, setting down a bag full of what smelled like Thai food. "I brought lunch!" She announced. Arizona laughed.

"I didn't even realise you had left." She admitted, walking over to her fiancée and planting a kiss on her lips. "But I missed you."

"Sap." Callie exclaimed through a cough, before starting to unbag all of the food.

"Not in here!" Arizona protested, indicating to the pristine room. She grabbed Callie by the hand and lead her out of the room, instead situating them at the island in the kitchen. "Now you may proceed." She said, gesturing the bag.

"Yes, your highness." Callie left, resuming her process in unpackaging everything. "I got you the noodles, as always. Because you're boring."

Arizona feigned hurt. "I'm hot enough. I don't need your ridiculous curries." She commented, earning a hearty laugh from Callie. Their light banter was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. "Are we expecting anyone?" She asked Callie, but the brunette simply shook her head, before her eyes went wide in realisation.

"It will be the social worker." Callie exclaimed. Arizona felt her heart rate speed up.

"Let's stay calm. We got this." Arizona said, more to herself than anyone else.

Outside the door, Jane could hear their mini freak out, albeit muffled. She smiled at the couple's antics. She had gotten to know Callie and Arizona very well over the past few months and she was very confident that they were the right parents for Ellie and Maya. However, it wasn't just her that needed to be convinced. There was a whole system of people who didn't know Callie or Arizona the way she did, and she needed to help convince them.

Taking a deep breath, Callie grabbed Arizona's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before pulling the door open. When they came face to face with Jane, they both breathed a sigh of relief. They had been afraid of some stony faced, impassive social worker, but they were glad to see Jane's bright smile.

"Hi, guys. I guess you know what I'm here for." She greeted them, allowing herself in. As soon as she crossed the threshold she started taking notes, marking down the rubber protectors on the corners of the table and the locks on the lower cabinets.

"Can we get you anything? Food, water?" Callie offered. Jane smiled and politely declined, before asking them to show her around.

"This will be Maya's room. She's really into music. If this is successful, we plan on getting her music lessons started back up again." Arizona explained. Jane nodded, noting down that the two women seemed to have the girls' best interests at heart. She examined the room carefully before they moved on to Ellie's.

"We plan on moving in to a house after the wedding in December. So there will be a garden and more space for everyone." Callie explained. The thought of a big back garden with all their kids running about brought a smile to her face. The future that she and Arizona had been fantasising about was finally starting to take shape and she couldn't be happier about it.

"So, you guys plan on getting married?" Jane asked them. She had seen the rings on their fingers the first time they had met, but the subject had never come up.

"Absolutely. We got engaged in July." Arizona told her, squeezing Callie's hand again.

"And that was just after the plane crash you were in?" Jane asked, softening a little. "I understand if it's hard to talk about, but we do need a thorough background check."

Arizona took a shaky breath, smiling softly. "No, I understand. I was in a plane crash with my best friend, and fellow surgeon, Teddy Altman back in July. We were, uh, out there for four days- the transmitter in the plane broke so no one knew that we had crashed. I was beaten up pretty badly, but I'm all healed now." Arizona finished, taking a deep breath. Callie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"And you've had all of the required therapy?"

"I have. It was tough, but we got through it." Arizona said, before drying her eyes and chuckling. "Damnit." She cursed, blushing.

"It's okay." Jane told her. She gave the paeds surgeon a few seconds to recuperate before requesting that they show her their bedroom.

The rest of the tour went well. They showed Jane every part of the apartment, and happily answered any questions she had to ask. They didn't shy away from any more personal ones, but instead answered them confidently and calmly.

"I think that went well." Callie commented after she shut the door behind Jane, who had left for another client's home. Arizona wrapped her arms around her fiancée, a smile growing on her lips.

"I think so too. I think we convinced her, at least." Arizona told her and Callie nodded in agreement. They both sat down at the kitchen island and resumed their lunch, each with more hope in their hearts than before.

"Mom, I don't know if you should. Not until everything's settled."

"Nonsense, Arizona. This will show them that you're ready for the girls to be a part of every aspect of your life."

"Or it could look over confident and presumptuous."

Arizona was currently talking to her mom over FaceTime. It had taken many months and a lot of effort to teach the older Robbins woman how to work an iPad let alone FaceTime, so Arizona was currently having a conversation with the top of her mother's head. It was rather amusing to her.

They were currently talking about Barbara and Daniel's next visit. The older couple planned on moving to Seattle soon, but needed to make an appointment with their realtor to look at houses. The main point of discussion was when said appointment was going to happen, as it involved them coming to Seattle. Arizona was trying to convince them to hold off until everything with the adoption was set in stone and definitely happening, but Barbara was confident that it would go well and that there was no point in putting off the meeting of her grandchildren any longer.

"I just don't want to have you get attached to them, or them get attached to you guys, and then have it all go bad." Arizona sighed, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"And do you think it's going to go badly?"

"No. I love those girls to death. Callie and I already feel like their parents. But life hasn't been very kind to us."

"Exactly. God owes you one. He owes you this. And as you said, you and Callie are already their parents. I'm not even there in the present but I can see how much you love them. You're being to pessimistic."

"Maybe I am." Arizona sighed, before deciding to change the subject. "So, what kind of place are you and dad looking for?"

Barbara smiled at her daughter. "Nothing too big. It's just the two of us, we don't need much space. A big garden, so Ellie can play. Maya too, if she wishes. And any future grandbabies too." She said hopefully, glancing at Arizona.

"And any future grandbabies, too." Arizona repeated, letting her mother know that she could look forward to plenty of more grandbabies to shower with gifts and overdose on sugar.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How did it go?" Maya asked, the instant she caught sight of Callie walking towards her. They were going shopping today, just the two of them. Arizona had to work, but had promised to take Ellie to Build a Bear as soon as her shift ended. Callie had decided to take Maya out, for some 'grown up girl' time.

"Ah, you know I'm not allowed to say." Callie sighed, nudging Maya's shoulder with her own. "You ready to go?"

"Yup." Maya replied, shrugging her purple leather jacket over her shoulders. "And that doesn't mean you can't." She added slyly.

Callie laughed at her antics. "Doesn't mean we should."

"Doesn't mean we shouldn't."

Callie just laughed, rendered speechless by the smartness and sarcasm that radiated off the teenager's body. "It went well, and that's all I'm gonna say. Now, where do you wanna do first?"

They spent most of the day having light hearted conversation and laughing at light hearted jokes. It was nice for Callie to have such a light day. As a surgeon, she saw much heavy stuff at work. It got hard. But Maya's sarcastic jokes made it hard for her to feel sad. For Maya, any break she could get from the foster home was nice. There were so many arguments on a daily basis in that place- it wasn't an environment she cared for at all.

Later that day, they met up with Arizona and Ellie, the latter of which was positively bouncing off the walls after having consumed more ice cream than a four-year-old should be able to handle. "Your sister is sugar-drunk." She told Maya, pulling her in for a greeting hug.

The soon-to-be family of four went to a restaurant for dinner. Ellie complained a little when Callie and Arizona declined her requests for more ice cream after dinner, reminding her that she had already eaten her body weight in it already.

"I hate saying goodbye." Arizona said sadly, as later that night, they watched the two girls walk hand in hand back up to the doors of the foster home.

"We won't have to do it for much longer." Callie pointed out, placing a gentle hand on Arizona's thigh, keeping the other on the steering wheel as she focused on the roads.

"I know. I can't wait for that." Arizona smiled.

The two remained in a comfortable silence for the rest of the drive back home. Once they arrived, both were totally wiped and headed to bed with hopeful hearts.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hi guys! I think this story only has a few chapters left now. Sob. But there will be an epilogue. I've never written an epilogue before. Fun! Anyway, I'm sorry it took me so long to update again, but I was away on holiday, and it was so amazing, but so busy. I genuinely love writing this fic, because it's one of the more light-hearted ones and I love fluff.**

 **Happy Existing!**

 **Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The next few months were some of the happiest of Callie and Arizona's lives. It seemed that finally, after all of the curveballs that had been thrown at them, the universe was giving them a break. Neither of them dared say it out loud, however, as the most well-known disruption of happiness was in fact saying it out loud.

Although they hadn't yet signed the custody papers for Ellie and Maya, the adoption agency had given them the go ahead to have the girls live with them full time. They planned on going house hunting after the wedding, but for now they were completely content in the apartment.

Ellie had taken to her new life with no hitches. As she was only four years old and was already used to change, she seemed able to adapt easily. She wasn't completely at the point of calling Callie and Arizona 'mom' yet, but the occasional 'mama' or 'mommy' would slip out when she was excited or tired. Callie and Arizona were completely taken by her- she was their little ball of energy and they fell more in love with her every day.

Maya had had a harder time adjusting. Unlike Ellie, she wasn't naïve about her mother's disappearance. Although four years had passed, it still hurt her. She still remembered all the good memories she had with her mother- doing cartwheels on the beach, playing on the swings at the park. She felt jealous of her little sister, who had never known their mother and therefore couldn't miss her.

However, as the months passed and she got used to having a proper family again, Callie and Arizona had both definitely noticed her coming out of her shell a lot more. She had gained more of her self- confidence back now that she could continue playing the violin and piano. It gave her a sense of identity and really helped her to put all of her energy into something good. Her true personality started to show- sarcastic, witty, and extremely logical.

For Callie and Arizona, everything was perfect. Their wedding was just around the corner, and neither of them could possibly be more excited for the day when they finally said 'I do.' Their day was finally approaching, and they found themselves thanking the universe for some happiness.

"These pins are jabbing me." Maya complained as she stood on the pedestal in the middle of Eleganza Bridal Store. They were attending the last fitting for her bridesmaid dress, floor length, deep burgundy dress with three quarter length lace sleeves. Arizona had almost cried the first time she saw Maya wearing it- her girl looked so beautiful.

"They're supposed to jab you. It's part of the experience." Teddy replied in an amused tone. Her maid of honour dress had already been altered- she had been part of the bridal party basically since the question had been popped- Maya's dress, however, was a bit last minute in wedding terms, as she had only been introduced to the bridal party in August.

"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." Maya replied with a frown, wincing again as the assistant poked another needle into one of the sleeves of the dress, pretending not to have heard Maya's complaint.

"It'll be over soon, sweetie. You look beautiful." Arizona said happily, earning an eyeroll from Maya.

"Sure, mom." She sighed. Like Ellie, she hadn't gotten into the habit of referring to Callie or Arizona 'mom' yet. But it occasionally slipped out, or when it was beneficial for the sarcastic effect.

For the wedding, Callie and Arizona had decided upon a burgundy, white and champagne colour theme. Colours that resembled Christmas, but weren't too flashy about it. Having a colour theme had really helped them with narrowing down their options for multiple different things.

"Okay, Arizona, are you ready for yours?" Their wedding planner and dressmaker, Anna, asked her. Callie had been caught up in a surgery and therefore couldn't be there for the fitting, so Arizona took the chance to book her final dress fitting.

"So ready." She chirped, standing up and following Anna through to the fitting room. She was excited to show everyone the dress. She was the only one who had seen it so far. Her bridal party consisted of Teddy and Maya as co-maids of honour and Alex Karev as her best man. Callie's included Addison as her maid of honour, Cristina Yang as a bridesmaid and Mark as her best man. Ellie, along with Meredith and Derek's daughter, Zola, were going to be their bridesmaids. Arizona smiled, remembering the day when she'd asked Teddy to be her maid of honour.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 _Teddy was late. Not very late, but late. Which made Arizona even more impatient. Her knees bobbed up and down and she swore she was going to strain a muscle in her neck from the amount of times she'd craned it to see over the crowd to keep an eye on the café door._

 _Perhaps it was the army brat part of her that was making her so impatient. During her childhood, she was always taught that five minutes weren't as inconsequential as they sometimes seemed. That even a minute late was late. Which had resulted in her being a very punctual, and often too early to every event, person._

 _She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally heard the little bell on the café door ring and saw Teddy's familiar face coming towards her. She wasn't sure why she felt anxious about this- Teddy was her best friend. There was no way she would turn down her request to be her maid of honour._

" _Hey, Teds." Arizona greeted her best friend with a smile and a hug, earning an elbow in the ribs._

" _Call me that again, and you won't live to see your wedding day."_

 _After ordering their coffees, a staple in the diet of a surgeon, Arizona turned to Teddy with a smile._

" _Why are you smiling like that? Are you plotting my murder?" Teddy asked with a smirk._

 _Arizona laughed sarcastically. "You wish. Then you'd get out of all those boring Maid of Honour tasks." She commented, watching with a smirk as Teddy did a double take._

" _Those boring what of what tasks?" She asked, the rising intonation of her voice conveying her surprise._

" _Maid of Honour." Arizona repeated. "This is me asking you to be my maid of honour. If you want to."_

 _Teddy stared at Arizona for a few seconds, gobsmacked. She'd never been asked to be anyone's Maid of Honour before. "Of course!" She explained, grabbing Arizona's arm from across the table._

" _Oww!" Arizona exclaimed. "First you elbow me in the face and then you dislocate my shoulder." He commented._

" _That was your own fault."_

" _Hey! I just made you my Maid of Honour. You have to be nice to me."_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She smiled at the memory. When considering who she should chose as her maid of honour, there had been only one option: Teddy Altman. Teddy had shown her nothing but pure friendship, honestly and loyalty. After spending all that time in those woods together, they had definitely bonded even more.

"Here's your dress. I'll be here when you're ready." Anna smiled, handing Arizona the long white bag that contained the dress. On the subject of people Arizona was grateful for, Anna currently ranked very high on her list. Her wedding planner was completely understanding of her crazy surgeon schedule and was always ready to rearrange her timetable depending on when both Callie and Arizona were free.

Unzipping the white dress cover, Arizona smiled when she saw her dress. It was pure white, and the top half was lacy with long sleeves until just below her ribcage where the skirt started and flowed effortlessly to her feet. The minute she saw it she had fallen in love with it.

"Damnnn, AZ." Teddy exclaimed when she saw Arizona walking out in her dress.

Arizona turned to Anna. "I don't think this needs any more adjustments. It feels perfect." She smiled.

"Lucky you." Maya commented, although she couldn't deny, Arizona looked stunning in her dress.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Let's say Grace." Callie stated as they all sat down to dinner that night. Saying Grace was a routine that they had started just after Ellie and Maya started living with them full time.

"Let's." Arizona agreed. She wasn't an overly religious person, but she respected the fact that Callie was and that saying grace was important to her. Also, she couldn't deny, as she took in the sight of her perfect family, that she owed a serious thank you to whatever higher power had landed her here.

"Let's start with you, Maya." Callie stated. Maya nodded, clasped her hands and closed her eyes.

"Lord, thank you for the food on our table and the love we have for each other. Also, thank you for not letting me die from blood loss at the fitting today." She said, earning a chuckle from around the table.

"You're such a drama queen." Arizona laughed, before turning to Ellie. "You're up next, little miss."

Ellie leaned forward in her chair and copied Maya's actions. It had been hard at first to explain to her what the purpose of saying grace was, since she had never had any religious influences in her life up until then, but soon enough saying grace became the little girl's favourite part of the day.

"Dear God, thank you for making Olaf to always make me laugh because he's funny. And thank you for this yummy food." She said sweetly. Arizona was up next.

"God, thank you for another whole day full of laughter and love. Thank you for this food and this home. Amen."

Callie smiled, extremely grateful that her fiancé was willing to make an effort to include her beliefs. She smiled and closed her eyes and clasped her hands, in an act so familiar now that it was natural. "Father, thank you for the food we eat today, the people beside us, and the love between us all."

They all proceeded to eat their food. Ellie had a slight issue with the fact that her mashed potato wasn't green, but after Callie explained to her that it would taste the same, she happily complied and ate her dinner peacefully.

Later that night, once all the pandemonium of dinner was over, Arizona found herself drawn to Maya's room when she heard the melodious sound of the violin being played. She had been surprised at how truly talented Maya was at music. She'd always expected the violin to sound screechy, but Maya made it sound like proper music. She was proud of her girl.

She leant against the door, watching in amazement the look of pure concentration on Maya's face. Her whole face was blank as she tracked the notes carefully with her eyes, except the one giveaway of concentration- her eyebrows were puckered slightly, making the skin between her eyes crinkle. Her curly blonde hair was pulled up in a bun to prevent it getting caught in the bow.

Had it not been for the familiarity of her fiancé's touch, she might have jumped out of her skin when she felt someone's arms wrap around her waist from behind. She smiled and wordlessly leaned into Callie's arms as they both watched Maya quietly.

"Our girl's crazy talented, huh?" Callie whispered so as not to distract Maya.

"Absolutely." Arizona agreed. "What's Ellie up to?" She asked, noticing that she couldn't hear the normal hilarity of a regular night in the Robbins-Torres household.

"Her stuffed animals are having a wedding. She told me to come get you so we could watch it." Callie replied, making Arizona laugh. Ellie had a personality that was way too big for her tiny body. She always had a made-up story to tell or a new game to play.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss the union of Fluffy and Otto for anything." Arizona chuckled, following Callie through to Ellie's room, where they found the little girl sprawled out on the pale orange rug on the floor, her stuffed animals laid out in perfect rows, whispering sweet nothingness in different voices as each animal walked the aisle.

"Mama, you came!" She exclaimed excitedly, making Arizona's heart full with warmth. She didn't think she could ever get enough of hearing either of her girls referring to her as 'mama'.

"Of course I did!" Arizona explained, sinking to her knees beside Ellie to get a closer look at the 'wedding.'

A few hours later, once Fluffy and Otto had been successfully united in matrimony, and Ellie had fallen asleep as soon as her head had hit the pillow, Arizona, Callie, and Maya all sat on the couch in the living room, discussing wedding plans.

"You should have seen how amazing Maya looked in her dress. I have pictures!" Arizona exclaimed, showing the many photos from different angles to Callie, who nodded in agreement.

"You do look great." Callie agreed, making Maya roll her eyes.

"Ugh, put those away. I'm going to bed." She announced, standing up, giving both Callie and Arizona a hug before heading to her room. However, she stopped when she got to her bedroom door, t=and turned around to face them again. "And thank you guys, for taking us in. Being our parents. This life is amazing." She said softly before turning and closing her door behind her.

"We should probably head to bed, too. I have an early shift tomorrow." Arizona noted, noting that it was nearly ten pm and she had to work at five am.

Standing up from the couch, they walked hand in hand towards their bedroom. "What time do you have to be in tomorrow?"

"Five am." Arizona replied. She knew it could be a lot worse, and she had always been a morning person. It was only in the first few months after her attack that she had hated the notion of getting up in the morning, however as she began to return to her usual self, she had come to be the normal chirpy morning person she had been before.

"Ahh, that's not bad." Callie smirked as they began to get ready for bed.

"Says you who doesn't work until twelve." Arizona retorted, climbing into bed beside Callie and wrapping her arms around her fiancé. Amongst all of the busyness of wedding planning and two new kids, the quiet moments at night with Callie were the ones she cherished the most.

"I love you, you know." Callie said softly, teasing a small lock of Arizona's blonde curls between her fingers.

"Well you're marrying me in three weeks, I would hope so." Arizona chuckled, before turning to Callie. "I love you, too."

"I'm so grateful for this life we're building."

"Me too." Arizona agreed. "We deserve it."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this! Next stop- wedding!**


	24. Chapter 24

The First Time Ever- Wedding Chapter

 **Greetings, people of earth. And beyond. I was genuinely psyched to write this chapter. All of the details of the wedding are picture-inspired, so judging by my google search history, you would think I'm the one getting married. HA. Also, I'm sorry it took longer to update, but I wanted to make this chapter perfect. I genuinely have a whole separate word documents dedicated to wedding details. Kind of sad, kind of proud.**

 **Also, I was thinking it through, and I realised that I shitted up the timeline for this story. So, here's a rundown:**

 **September- started dating**

 **April- Arizona has nightmare in front of Meredith**

 ***time skip of nearly three months***

 **Late June - plane crash**

 **Early August- proposal**

 **Late August- they meet Ellie and Maya**

 **September- They decide to look into adopting them**

 **December- Wedding**

 **So, all in all, the story (so far) has covered just over a year. Please forgive me for any mistakes.**

 **Happy Existing!**

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was, finally, the day before the wedding. The day that had been talked about, planned, analysed and fantasised about for what felt like a million years was almost tangible. In less than twenty-four hours, they would be married, and neither Callie nor Arizona could contain their excitement.

"It sucks that I can't see you until tomorrow." Callie half huffed as she and Arizona stood in the doorway of their apartment, bidding their temporary goodbyes, until they would see each other again, at the altar. If it hadn't been for that point of hope, they would have refused to leave each other.

"And I can't see you…" Arizona agreed. In roughly ten minutes time, Teddy would be arriving with Alex Karev in tow to fuss and plan things last minute and keep her company on the night before the wedding. Callie, with her suitcase packed, was about to leave for Addison's apartment, where she, Addison, Mark and Cristina would spend the night.

"We're getting married tomorrow." Callie stated, her face shining with childlike excitement at the simplicity of her sentence. It seemed unreal to her- that just over a year ago, she hadn't even met the wonderful woman who was currently standing in front of her, and tomorrow they were getting married. It made her heart feel like it was going to burst with joy.

"We're getting married tomorrow." Arizona repeated, every bit as enthusiastically as Callie had. Neither could she believe her luck. She expressed her excitement by planting an enthusiastic kiss on her fiancé's, soon to be wife's, lips. Her tongue graced hopefully along Callie's bottom lip, asking for entrance, and just as Callie was about to allow her access, there was a snapping noise from across the room, and they sprung apart to see Maya standing in the kitchen, making a face. Ellie was staying at Meredith's.

"There's an allotted time for that tomorrow." She said, holding up her own copy of the schedule that Teddy had made to prove her point.

Callie and Arizona reluctantly pulled apart, instead resting their foreheads together, taking in the last few moments they would have together before becoming a married couple. "I'll see you at the altar." Callie eventually said, pulling Arizona into a hug.

"I'll be the one in white."

"Very convincing."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

And just like that, Callie swiftly left the apartment and Arizona closed the door behind her, leaning against the wall and sighing. She allowed her back to slide down the wall and she brought her knees up to her chest, resting her chin atop them. In that moment, she was feeling a little overwhelmed. Not in a bad way, just… An unreal way.

Maya, sensing Arizona's emotions, sat down beside the blonde and rested her head on her mom's shoulder. "You okay?" She asked.

Arizona chuckled. For a nearly fifteen-year-old, Maya was incredibly susceptive of other people's emotions. "Yeah. I just can't believe it's tomorrow." She said, summarising her feelings.

"Tell me how you guys met?" Maya asked. She didn't know much about her parents' pasts, only titbits that had been revealed along the way.

Arizona chuckled. "I had just moved to Seattle, Callie was a new Attending. I had just moved from Baltimore. We met in front of the OR board, then we had lunch together. And then one night soon after, I found her crying in the bathroom in the bar. She'd had a tough time with relationships previously." She paused, not sure if that explained it enough. But she decided it would do. "And I just kissed her out of nowhere. Like, literally, I had no idea I was going to do it until I did. And then I walked out. She asked me out on a date the next day."

"That's adorable." Maya smiled. "Why did you move all the way from Baltimore?"

"For reasons I'll tell you about when you're older. And it won't ruin the good vibe we have going on here." Arizona explained with a light smile. Just then, they were interrupted by a knock at the door and they were both forced to scurry out of the way before they were promptly beaten by said door that was blown open by a semi-crazed looking Teddy, who burst in without invite, trailing a surly looking Alex behind her.

For her usual G.I. Jane, badass cardiothoracic surgeon personality, Teddy had been surprisingly excited about organising all things wedding. Arizona had been shocked when Teddy started over-analysing colour-palates and creating schedules of everyone's version of the day, which by now looked like a well-choreographed dance. Alex and Mark had been put in charge of ensuring an optimal alcohol store- that, and making sure their suits were perfectly tailored and on time.

"She needs a sedative shot, stat." He grumbled, gesturing to Teddy, whose arms were laden with long white bags which contained everyone's dresses and suits, and who wore an expression that had Arizona convinced that she was going to either faint or hit the ceiling. She wasn't sure which.

"Take your dresses and hang them on your room doors, please. Then come back through and we'll go over the plan for tomorrow."

"Walk up the aisle, say 'I do', kiss, party. Badda bing, badda boom, wedding day." Alex deadpanned as he took his suit from Teddy and hung it from one of the bookshelves in the corner. "Since I'm sleeping on the couch."

"I wish it was that simple." Arizona called from the master bedroom where she was hanging her dress up on the door. Although she was beyond excited for her wedding day, the idea of officially making Calliope Torres her wife thrilled her a lot more than the table decorations.

"Ha, ha." Teddy rolled her eyes. "Okay, so we all wake up at 7am tomorrow, giving us enough time to have a decent sized breakfast before the hair and makeup artists arrive at 8am. I'm estimating about three hours for everyone, since there's an artist for each of us. That brings us to 11am, at which point we can take some pre-wedding photographs. The cars should be here about 12pm to pick us all up. Arizona, you'll ride in the back car with your parents, and Maya, Alex and I will ride in the one behind you. If all goes to plan and we avoid car crashes or natural disasters, the wedding should be ready to start at 1:15pm."

"Wow." Arizona breathed, marvelling at Teddy's ability to speak for so long without taking a breath. "And Anna will be here in the morning?"

"Since no one apart from me seems to be interested in the wedding details, then I would go insane without her, so yes, she'll be here at about the same time as the hair and makeup people." Teddy replied, irritation evident in her tone as she watched Alex slyly check his phone.

Feeling sympathy for her friend, Arizona got up from her stool at the kitchen island and walked over to embrace Teddy tightly. "Thank you." She said, sincerity ringing in her every word. She genuinely was eternally grateful for all of the work Teddy was putting into her wedding- that her friend understood when she was feeling overwhelmed and made the small decisions for her, or finalised details to prevent extra stress.

"At least someone appreciates it." Teddy said, hugging her tightly back and shooting a glare at Alex and Maya over her Arizona's shoulder. "Your mom just texted me, she and your dad should be here in around thirty minutes."

Arizona's eyes widened. "Since when do you and my mom text? Since when does my mom text _full stop?"_

"Your mom and I are besties. We pretty much planned this wedding together." Teddy exclaimed, and Arizona nodded in agreement. Although she and Callie had been the main overseers of all the wedding plans, and every decision had been run by them first, it had really been Anna, Teddy and Barbara who were responsible for the wedding planning.

"I helped pick out the favours." Maya piped up, referring to the tiny packets of marshmallows with labels reading 'Sending S'more love!' written on them- Both Callie and Arizona thought they were incredibly cheesy, but Maya loved them.

"And I picked the alcohol!" Alex added. "I also showed up tonight."

Arizona giggled. "Of course, how on earth would I survive without you two?" She sighed dramatically, slinging an arm around both of their shoulders.

"Not without me, without the alcohol."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hours later, in the dead of night, Arizona glared at the ceiling of her bedroom, as though cursing the concrete, plaster and paint for her inability to sleep. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her mind to close off. It wasn't as if she was up worrying about the next day- no, she had faith that God would take them through it- but her mind was wandering through every conceivable thought about life- from impossible situations to different songs she had stuck in her head.

Squinting at her alarm clock through the darkness, she sighed when she realised it was only 2am, and there were still five more hours to pass until it became an acceptable time to wake up. However, she was slowly resigning herself to being awake, at least for the time being. So, instead of glaring hatefully at the ceiling, she threw her duvet back and got to her feet.

It was safe to say that she got the fright of her life when she was met not with an empty kitchen, but with the pale face of her mother looming out of the darkness. Once her heart rate slowed down, she walked over and sat quietly down next to her mom, greeting her with a wordless, tired smile.

"Can't sleep?" Barbara asked with a knowing smile. She herself was excited beyond words to see her baby girl walk down the aisle.

"No matter how hard I try." Arizona replied, picking up Barbara's glass of water and taking a long drink.

"The night before the day I married you father, I didn't sleep at all. It drove your Aunt Kate mad because I spent the whole night talking to her." Barbara revealed, making Arizona chuckle.

"Give me a few minutes and we'll have you committed to the psych ward." She joked, elbowing her mother in the ribs gently. "I'm getting married tomorrow." She sighed, letting a blissful smile form on her face as she closed her eyes, basking in the joy of that simple sentence.

Barbara watched her daughter's face fill with happiness, and even through the two am tiredness and the stress of the wedding preparation, she saw how truly happy Arizona was. It made her heart soar. Three years ago, when she walked in to that hospital to see her daughter so broken and beaten and small, she would never would have believed she would see her be so happy any time soon. But Arizona was happy now- for which, Barbara held a tremendous amount of gratitude for Callie.

"I'm feeling old." Barbara smiled. "My daughter's getting married and she has two daughters of her own."

"It's scary how much I love them." Arizona admitted. "I've only known them for four months but I feel like I've known them their whole lives."

"Kids do that to you." Barbara agreed. "Are you excited?"

Knowing that her mother was referring to the wedding, Arizona nodded. "Super excited. A little nervous about faceplanting down the aisle, yes, but excited."

"I tripped up the steps to the altar at my wedding." Barbara laughed, making Arizona laugh with her.

"I think I'm going to try to sleep now. Teddy will kill me if I have eyebags." Arizona laughed, standing up, biding her mother goodnight, and making her way back to her bedroom to sleep, excited about what the day had to hold for her and the rest of her and Callie's lives.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was time. The moment Arizona had been waiting for was finally here. Her mother had bid her tearful goodbyes and went to join Callie's mother, Lucia, who had only recently come to terms with her daughter's sexuality and way of life, Teddy, Maya, Addison, Alex, Mark, Ellie and Zola who were waiting behind the doors at the start of the aisle, waiting for the music to start while both brides talked to their fathers.

Daniel Robbins took his wife's place by his daughter's side. He hadn't talked to his daughter a lot that morning- there had been too many makeup artist, hairstylists and photographers to get anywhere near her. But he had to admit, his daughter looked stunning. It brought a slight tear to his eye to see his daughter ready to walk down the aisle, and he wasn't an emotional person.

"You look beautiful, Arizona." He told his daughter, taking her hands in his.

Arizona, noticing the tears in her father's eyes, giggled lightly. "You aren't going to start crying, too, are you? Mom nearly just flooded the place."

"Don't worry, I'm too tough for that." Daniel joked, but then the smile fell off of his face and became more serious. "I'm proud of you, Battleship."

Arizona felt the tears prick in the corners of her eyes at the use of the nickname her dad had given her and stuck with since she was a baby. "Do you think Tim would be proud, too?"

It hurt her heart to think of her brother on this day. On most days, she could think of her brother and think of only good memories and smile to remember them, but today, the only thing she could remember was coming out to her brother and Timothy promising to dance at her wedding. On this day, at that moment, it hurt to think of the promises he never got to fulfil.

Daniel didn't even have to think. "Without a doubt. The strength, bravery and kindness in the face of all you have been through is enough to make everyone who has ever had a conversation with you proud. You know that I'm not a spiritual person, but I believe that Timothy and your Grandfather are watching us right now with pride in their hearts, just like I have in mine. You make me insanely proud. I've never second guessed the decision to name you Arizona."

Arizona was stunned into a tearful silence. Never had she expected these words to come from her father, who could be known to be so… introverted. Letting a few tears fall down her cheeks, she hugged her father tightly before pulling away and taking a deep breath.

She carefully adjusted her hair in the mirror. She had it curled softly and the front strands were pulled back using bobby pins. Her dress was long sleeved lacy up until her ribcage, where the skirt began and flowed gently to the ground where they met a simple pair of white heels. "Let's do this."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'll kill you if you fall."

"Relax, _hija_ , your hands are shaking."

On the opposite side of the floor from Arizona and her father, Callie stood with Carlos Torres, arm in arm, waiting for the doors to open before she would wait patiently for their mothers, flower girls, and her bridal party to walk down the aisle before she would be the first bride to walk to the altar. Then Arizona's party would proceed before Arizona herself was the last one to join them in front of all their friends and family.

"Do you think Mami's really okay with this?" Callie asked anxiously. Her father had been accepting of her sexuality for quite a while now, so her insecurities about his acceptance of her were all but out the window. However, her mother had only recently come round. The change seemed to sudden and too good to be true.

"You need to relax. God has got you. He's up there rooting for you today. Everything will be fine." He promised his daughter, pressing a kiss to her forehead and patting her hair gently. Her dress had three quarter length sleeves with a taffeta bodice and a wider skirt which cascaded down to the floor. Her hair was left completely down and curled softly.

"Thank you, daddy. For everything." Callie said sincerely hugging her father around the waist, careful not to mess up her hair or makeup- Addison would be out for her blood.

"You don't need to thank me, Calliope. It's my job."

Just then, their emotional moment was interrupted by striking up of the string quartet, who elegantly played their version of The Beatles' 'Here Comes The Sun'. Callie took a deep breath as she watch Barbara and Lucia depart as the first to walk down the aisle and clutched her father's arm tighter, certain she was cutting off all blood flow to his hand.

She watched intently as Ellie and Zola walked down at their own four-year-old pace, tossing petals miscellaneously as they went before going to sit beside Meredith and Derek at the end of the aisle. Mark and then Cristina followed them, standing dutifully at the altar, waiting for Callie.

Before she knew it, Addison was approaching the end of the aisle and it was her turn. Sending a prayer up to God that she wouldn't trip and fall in front of all their family and friends, she began walking step by step down the aisle.

Taking in the smiling faces of members of the hospital, cousins, friends from med school and even some from high school put her at ease slightly. These were all people she knew and loved. It didn't seem to take long at all before her father was kissing her cheek and letting go of her hand to go and join her mother in the front row.

At the other end of the aisle, Arizona stood with Daniel. They weren't able to see what was going on as their door had not yet opened. However, just as she felt herself becoming impatient, their door swung open and Alex, as gracefully as he could muster, proceeded down the aisle and stood opposite Mark. Teddy, after making sure that Arizona's train was sitting perfectly and reminding the bride to hand her the bouquet once she reached the alter, followed Alex. Maya gave her mom a fleeting hug before being the last bridesmaid to be 'released', as she put it.

Arizona's knees were shaking, sending tiny quivers down the skirt of her dress as she began walking, holding on to her father tightly.

However, all fear and nerves vanished when she saw Callie waiting for her. Suddenly, it was all she could do not to run headlong down the aisle. Never had she seen such beauty before in her life.

"You look beautiful." She couldn't help but saying once she reached the top and her father kissed her cheek and went to join her mother.

"You do, too."

The ceremony passed quickly, and before either bride knew it, it was time for the vows, which they had chosen to write themselves. Callie went first:

"The first day I met you, you were standing in front of the OR board, hiding from Bailey." She said, turning to smile at Bailey, who sent her the classic Bailey stare back. "In that moment my heart stopped. For me, it was definitely love at first sight. The first time you kissed me, out of nowhere in that dirty bar bathroom, my heart stopped again. The whole world disappeared. And that's what you do. You make my heart stop, my world stop. You take all of the bad things from the world away and you are constantly opening my eyes to a whole new one, filled with love and joy and our two daughters and a future with you. And I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives discovering life together." She concluded through a voice thick with tears.

Arizona, who was also crying, laughed. "Now how am I supposed to follow that?" She asked incredulously, earning a laugh from the crowd. "If you'd asked me a year ago where I planned on being in a year's time, I wouldn't know what to say. If you'd told me that I would meet the beautiful Calliope Torres, I would have laughed. Before you, I was only focused on getting through the day, being a great surgeon. After everything that happened, I had been completely changed and nothing in my life made sense anymore. But you… You changed everything. You brought light and happiness. You remind me of the good in the world. You and our daughters make me a better me. And those are just some of the reasons why I love you."

The rest of the ceremony went tearfully and seamlessly. Neither woman had felt greater happiness in their hearts than when they finally said 'I do' and sealed the deal with a soft, earth shattering, life-altering kiss. Then, grabbing their daughters by the hands, the walked back down the aisle to 'I'll Be There For You' by The Rembrants, a song they both loved.

After their meal, the crowd stood dutifully in a circle while the two women took to the dance floor for the first time as a married couple. As 'You and Me' by Lifehouse played on, Callie sung softly in Arizona's ear.

"' _Cause there's you and me, and all of the people, and I don't know why, but I can't keep my eyes off of you._ '" She sung to her wife, who cherished every moment of being in Callie's arms.

"You do have a beautiful voice." Arizona admired. "I can't believe we're married."

"We made it." Callie said excitedly, squeezing Arizona's hands tightly. Just then, the last bars of the music played and came to a close, and they were interrupted by both of their fathers requesting a dance. Neither bride had noticed other couples join them on the floor. 'It's For My Dad' by Nancy Sinatra played on as both brides talked to their dads as they moved back and forth and side to side in a safe square, none of them being graceful dancers.

The rest of the ceremony played out seamlessly. Neither Callie nor Arizona sat down for the whole night, they were always up dancing or talking to friends and family. They spent a lot of time introducing Ellie and Maya with pride to their families, as a lot of them had never met the two girls before.

"You're my mommy forever, right?" Ellie asked Arizona as they slowly spun around in a circle to the music. It was getting later and in Arizona's arms, Ellie's eyes were drooping and she was being lulled to sleep by the soft music.

"I am, baby." Arizona replied. It gave her a great sense of pride to be able to tell her that. Although the adoption hadn't been finalised and probably wouldn't be until mid-February, she could already tell that the way their family was now was the way it was meant to be, and if it was meant to be, it would happen.

"And Callie, too?" The little girl asked hopefully, holding on to a strand of Arizona's hair. Arizona noticed that that seemed to be something that calmed her. She glanced over to the other side of the room where she could see Maya and Callie sitting at a table, Maya's head resting on Callie's shoulder as they talked quietly while watching everyone dance.

"And Callie, too." She assured her, rubbing a comforting hand across her daughter's back.

"And we live with you and not with mean people?"

This broke Arizona's heart. She had heard from both Jane and Maya that foster homes were not always the best and foster families weren't always lovely people. It broke her heart to think of either of her daughters ever being unhappy. "Forever and ever." She promised.

Their first chance to sit down and fully relax came when they finally got in the taxi to the airport. They had a week-long honeymoon planned in LA. They had been hesitant to leave Ellie and Maya for so long, that maybe it would look bad when it came to adoption, but both Jane and Maya had assured them it was perfectly fine and that the newly married couple deserved a honeymoon, especially with their crazy schedules.

"Happy wedding day." Arizona said with an ecstatic smile, planting a kiss on her wife's lips. It was all she could do, with Callie's hand resting on the top of her thigh, not to undress her bride right then and there. Not that she was opposed to car sex, but she was opposed to giving the driver a free show.

"Happy wedding day." Callie repeated, her smile matching Arizona's.

Before they knew it, they were at the airport, ready to embark on their first journey as a married couple and enjoy the first week of many to come for the rest of their lives.


	25. Chapter 25

The First Time Ever- The Last Chapter

 **GUYS. I'm SO sorry for taking forever to update. Life took the crazy train recently. I was in school until 9pm nearly every day last week for rehearsals. I also performed at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh on Friday (look it up, it's super fancy) and I also did a sleepout for a homeless youth charity. Things should calm down, for now, though.**

 **Also, this is the last chapter of this story! There will be an epilogue coming soon, though. Thank you for everyone who has read, favourited, commented on and reviewed this story. I've loved writing it!**

 **Happy existing!**

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

' _Happiness happens when you fit with your life, when you fit so harmoniously that whatever you are doing is your joy.'- Oshi_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was the weak morning sunbeams that filtered through the blinds on the window that woke Arizona up. She waited a few seconds before opening her eyes, happily basking in the few glorious seconds of peace before the usual hectic ways of the day commenced. It was a life she loved, but a crazy life nonetheless.

Opening her eyes, she gave her vision a few seconds to adjust to the new light before she stretched her arms out above her head. She yawned quietly before turning her head to the left where her wife slept next to her. Her wife. Over a year had passed since their wedding, but calling Calliope Torres her wife still made her smile like crazy. She smiled slyly, shuffling closer to Callie and pressing her cold feet against her wife's legs.

"Wake up." She whispered softly, giggling to herself when Callie groaned and kicked her legs away from her.

"Go away." Callie groaned, pulling the duvet further up around her chin, screwing her eyes shut tight as keeping them shut would make her wife go away.

"Wake wakey, eggs and bakey." Arizona said in a sing song voice, grabbing the edge of the duvet and throwing it off of them. Callie let out a cry and scrambled to get under the warm covers again. Sighing in defeat, she rolled over to face Arizona, who was sitting up, throwing a hoodie over her head.

"I'm going vegetarian." She huffed, covering her eyes to block out the sun.

"Fine. Wakey wakey, vegetables and sadness." Arizona deadpanned, making Callie laugh at her wife's sarcasm before lying back down on the bed. "And coffee?" She added, glancing at Callie to gage her reaction. As she suspected, Callie opened her eyes again, lifting her head up from the pillow.

"Coffee?" She asked hopefully, significantly perking up.

"Only if you get up." Arizona smiled, standing up to leave the room.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Good, actually." Arizona commented, loving her wife's protective side, not stopping in her tracks. However, she paused when she realised that the house was quiet. "Callie?"

"Yeah?"

"What time is it?"

"Like, 9am."

"Callie!" Arizona exclaimed in surprise. "What do you hear?"

Callie paused, frowning. "Nothing. Why?"

"Exactly. Nothing! We're up before the kids!"

There was silence as the two women stared at each other. "Say something!" Arizona laughed.

Callie shook her head. "I can't. I'm in shock."

Waking up in the morning before either of their daughters had risen was a rare occurrence. Ellie especially was an early riser- always up before seven am. Both Callie and Arizona knew that younger kids were early risers- that didn't mean to say that it hadn't been one hell of an adjustment. Being surgeons, lying in whenever they had the opportunity was always their first choice. However, they were more than happy to give those up.

"This sounds suspicious. Let's go." Arizona said decisively, grabbing Callie's hand and dragging her with her.

Descending the stairs, they both smiled at each other when they saw both Ellie and Maya sitting contentedly in front of the fish tank in the living room, talking softly, both of them wrapped in blankets. The fish had been an addition to their family two months after the wedding, after Maya and Ellie's mutual love for sea life had emerged.

They stopped at the bottom of the stairs for a brief moment, simply watching the two girls interact. Ellie and Maya were definitely close- they shared a special bond, that could perhaps only be formed after going through everything they had together. Maya was a pro at saying just the right things so soothe Ellie when she was upset, and Ellie always knew how to make Maya smile on a hard day.

"Told you something fishy was going on." Callie whispered in Arizona's ear. Arizona rolled her eyes, looked Callie straight in the eye without any expression on her face and flicked her wife on the forehead. This caused Callie to burst out laughing, which gave away their location. Both of their daughters looked up, confused as to why one of their moms was shaking with laughter and the other one was standing still, an unamused look on her face.

"What's so funny?" Maya asked as they both stood up.

"Your mom thinks she's hilarious." Arizona explained and collapsed on to the couch as Ellie, blanket-clad and looking like a burrito, crawled into her lap, "good morning, burrito bug. And good morning, older burrito bug." She greeted her daughters, giving them both a kiss on the forehead.

"What did she say?" Maya asked.

"We got up and there was silence and we were suspicious. We came downstairs to see you both sitting in front of the fish tank and she told me she knew there was something fishy going on." Arizona explained.

"HA. Funny gal." Maya deadpanned, making Ellie frown and move away from Arizona and on to Callie's lap instead.

"Mama IS funny. Don't be mean." Ellie pouted, making everyone else laugh.

"We were only joking, Elliephant. Mama is funny." Maya reassured her sister. She turned to Callie. "Since I said you were funny, gave you a complement, can we have pancakes for breakfast?"

"I see how it works." Callie grumbled, although she stood up and made her way to the kitchen anyway, Ellie following close behind.

"Don't make eggs. Ew." Arizona called out after her, practically gagging at the thought. At almost twelve weeks pregnant, her morning sickness had almost completely subsided- it was only the thought of certain foods that make her nauseous.

"I thought my brother liked eggs." Maya questioned. She was the one who was possibly most excited for the new baby. She had been a little dubious to begin with, when Callie and Arizona had approached her with the idea, concerned that her moms may love a biological baby more than her and Ellie. However, both Callie and Arizona had assured her that they loved both her and her sister unconditionally. Both parents loved their daughters with a mother's love and it was terrifying and amazing at the same time.

Ellie was on board with the idea right away. She didn't fully understand the concept, but the main idea was that she was going to be a big sister like Hayley in her class, which made her excited from day one.

"Your brother OR sister did like eggs. Now they hate them." Arizona answered, laughing at how adamant Maya was that she was getting a baby brother.

"My _brother_ is going to be just like me, then. Eggs. Ew." Maya shuddered

"It may be a girl, you know." Arizona reminded her, although she saw no point. Maya's stubbornness hadn't changed in the slightest over the past year.

"Nope. You already got two girls. You need a boy now." Maya explained.

"Great logic. When your mom and I just started dating and the topic of kids came up on time, she told me we would have loads of boys, but I was sure on girls. So when the adoption was finalised for you guys I turned around to her and said 'I told you so.'" Arizona laughed, remembering that moment with a smile.

"How long did you guys date? You got engaged just before you met us, right?" Maya asked.

"Yep. We were together for about eleven months when we met you guys."

"So you guys moved fast." Maya stated making Arizona laugh.

"Yeah. Well, you know about the plane crash and everything. I think that acted as a catalyst. We just thought, why wait?"

"I get it. You guys are cute. I hope Teddy and Henry don't take forever to get married."

"Ditto." Arizona agreed defiantly. Teddy and Henry has just recently announced the news of their engagement, and Arizona was less than surprised to hear the news. She had known from the very first 'there's a guy' that Teddy and Henry were perfect for one another.

Just then, they heard the soft pitter-patter of small feet running towards them and they both turned round to see Ellie, still wrapped in her blanket, running into the living room. "Mama says breakfast is nearly ready so get your bums through to the kitchen." She reported dutifully before running off again.

"That's us told then." Arizona laughed, sighing and lifting herself up from the couch, only then realising how hungry she was. Being hungry was good, though. Through most of her first trimester she had felt too sick to eat anything, so having an appetite was good.

Walking through to the kitchen, they smiled when the sweet smell of the pancake mixture hit them. "Let's do strawberries too! Good morning, by the way." She said to Callie, capturing her wife's lips in a soft kiss.

"Good morning. Good to see that baby's letting you eat." Callie commented.

"For once." Arizona said, nodding in agreement as she popped a strawberry in her mouth.

Callie smiled at her wife's adorableness. She then glanced around the kitchen of the home that she owned, where her two daughters sat happily on the stools at the counter, chatting happily together while she and her wife, who was pregnant with their child, made pancakes. She was also heading in to work later that day to do a job that she loved. In that moment, she felt truly, blissfully happy.

"Are you okay?" Arizona asked Callie, noticing her wife's glazed over look. Callie turned to her and smiled.

"Just feeling very peaceful. Can you believe this is our life?"

Arizona chuckled, exhaling. "I wouldn't have believed it for a second."

"Remember when you asked me out on our first date?"

Arizona laughed and covered her face, thinking back on that moment. "Back when I actually couldn't form a sentence around you."

"Willyougoonadatewithme?" Callie mimicked Arizona's once stumbled and flustered sentence, making Arizona laugh loudly and slap her wife gently on the arm. "Excuse me. That's bullying." She protested, slapping Arizona back.

"You can't hit a pregnant woman!" Arizona gasped through her laughter.

"You're only pregnant for about six more months, and I'm patient." Callie threatened.

"Yeah, well, you're having the next one. That gives me nine months to plan my revenge." Arizona countered.

"Oh, so we're having more, huh?"

"We agreed on ten, didn't we?" Arizona asked, before laughing at Callie's shocked face. "Relax, I'm talking, like, four. I don't think we could survive ten."

Callie laughed in relief. She thought her wife was being serious for a second. She loved her kids, each one of them unconditionally, but undoubtedly if there was ten of them she would go insane.

"Maybe a dog somewhere in the future, too." Callie added, and even though she whispered the word 'dog' to avoid any questions, she was still heard by both Ellie and Maya who simultaneously turned round to stare at their parents.

"Are we getting a puppy?" Ellie asked hopefully. Callie and Arizona looked at each other in amusement, before shaking their heads. They had known it wouldn't be long until Ellie started asking for a puppy- she had come home from school two weeks ago reporting that her friend Jack was the proud new owner of a Springer Spaniel puppy. They had prepared well.

"Maybe in a while. After the baby's born." Arizona told her daughter, not quite saying no, because she knew that there would likely be a canine added to their family at some point in the future, but not agreeing to go looking for dogs.

"Dogs and babies are different though." Ellie argued, not seeming willing to give up on the topic.

"But both need a lot of care and attention. After the baby comes, and you help us with the baby and we all get used to the change and the hard work, then maybe we can get a puppy. When we're all ready." Callie explained. Ellie took a few moments to ponder Callie's words before nodding happily, seeming to understand.

"I'll help so much with the baby. Then we can get a puppy." She stated simply, making everyone else in the room laugh at her simple logic. That was one thing Arizona loved about working with children and having a small child of her own- their minds were so simple and logical. They didn't know anything about filtering or not asking certain questions because with they were simply curious all of the time.

As they all sat down to eat, Callie quickly checked Ellie's insulin levels to help decide on her portion size and reminded the little girl that she would have to check it again after. Ellie nodded easily. She was used to the routine of her parents checking her insulin pump before and after every meal. The insulin pump had been a welcome change- meaning that she didn't have to take insulin shots every day, Ellie had been under a lot less stress.

"Moving on from the puppy subject, who has any name ideas?" Callie asked, making Arizona roll her eyes. The second the pregnancy test had turned positive, Callie had been researching baby names, planning nursery colours, reading up on different types of diapers, and everything in between. It made Arizona both in awe of her wife and exasperated by her. They had only just started telling people and Callie had essentially everything picked out.

"I'd really like Timothy for a boy. After my brother." Arizona stated. She and Callie had had this conversation before they even had any kids, and they always agreed that Timothy would be in their first son's name.

"I like Timothy! Badass, fitting for my uncle." Maya chimed in. That made Arizona smile hugely. She had never heard either of her daughters refer to her brother as 'uncle'. Not because they didn't want to, but the opportunity had simply never presented itself. It filled her heart with happiness and probably because of the pregnancy hormones, her eyes filled with tears.

"Me too!" Ellie voted.

"I love it." Callie agreed. "So, Timothy for a boy. What about a girl?"

"Name her Ellie!" Ellie suggested, making everyone laugh.

"They can't have two kids called Ellie, silly." Maya laughed.

"Yeah-huh! Then we can be matching!" Ellie pointed out, arguing her case determinedly. Her whole family was convinced that the young brunette would become a lawyer- she was very good at arguing, even if her arguments weren't always quite right.

"Okay, okay." Maya backed off. "But what about another name? Just in case?"

"Peanut!" Ellie exclaimed, making herself laugh hysterically.

"That's silly!" Maya exclaimed, tickling her sisters sides.

"Hotdog!"

"We eat hot dogs!"

"Rainbow!"

This went on for a while, and soon enough both sisters were laughing hysterically. Arizona leaned back in her chair and watched them. She was so glad that they had been able to welcome these two beautiful girls into their lives and that they were so happy. At first, it hadn't been easy. It had taken a while for the two girls, Maya especially, to trust them. And they couldn't be blamed. They hadn't exactly been given a lot of trustworthy adult figures to rely on in their short lives.

It had been hard, for sure. There was therapy involved. It was a drastic change for two young girls to go through. From having a mother, to being bounced around foster homes with no options of a double adoption, to being in a full time, loving home. However, both girls had soon climatized. Having seen that Callie and Arizona were serious about being their parents and had no intention to leave, they seemed to open right up to the idea of them being a family, and that was when they started referring to them as 'mom' and 'mama'.

It had been a huge change for Callie and Arizona, too. They had gone from no children to a teenager and a four year old what seemed to be over night. They had fallen in love with the two girls instantly. They had been worried at the very beginning that they might not feel that unconditional, unexplainable mother's love, but their worries had been dispelled almost instantly. It was scary how much they loved their daughters.

"Now it's my turn to be all reflective and cheesy." Arizona informed Callie as they watched their daughters laughing hysterically over silly names like 'Toto' and 'Buba'. It just seemed surreal to her how far they'd come. That she'd survived the attack, survived the plane crash, and that she could put those in her past and look into the future.

"We did great, huh?" Callie said, taking her wife's hand in her own.

"We did." Arizona agreed, capturing her wife's in a kiss. It was short, soft- nothing too much, because she had faith that she'd be doing it every day for the rest of her life. She had known from the first 'I love you' that Calliope Torres was the one she wanted to grow old with- her first and only forever.

Callie smiled as they parted from the kiss. She studied Arizona's face carefully, never getting enough of her wife's beautiful, glowing appearance. She never failed to be stunned by Arizona, from day one when they spent hours talking in a little café bookshop, to seeing her walk down the aisle, or now, watching their kids laugh while discussing names for their baby on the way. She had no doubt that for the rest of their lives, Arizona would continue to take her breath away.

Ellie was quick to interrupt their mushy moment.

"But why don't we just get a puppy to practice for the baby?"


	26. Chapter 26

The First Time Ever Epilogue

 **Congratulations on making it to the epilogue! Thank you so much for reading and all of the lovely reviews. Much love!**

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Mama! Mama!"

Arizona closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was the first time for weeks that the new baby had allowed her to sleep past five am and for more than two hours at a time, and Ellie was now the one who was wide awake at silly hours. Glaring at her alarm clock that told her it was just a little after six am, Arizona bit her tongue and reminded herself that she loved her child before opening her eyes slightly to see Ellie standing right in front of her face.

"Too early." Arizona mumbled sleepily, reaching to grab Ellie and dragged her into the bed with her. Callie, the heavy sleeper that she was, didn't even stir.

"But I want to see Timothy." Ellie complained. Arizona sighed. She knew she should be thankful that Ellie absolutely doted on her new brother, but perhaps doting on him at a reasonable time in the morning would be preferable.

"Timothy's asleep. He thinks it's too early, too." Arizona told Ellie, wrapping her arms around her daughter and pulling her close. "One more hour and then we can get up."

"'Kay." Ellie agreed, already falling back asleep slowly as soon as Arizona wrapped her arms around her.

Smiling at her success, Arizona smiled sleepily to herself and drifted back off.

The next time they were woken up, it was by the usual morning of little Timothy Marcus' cries. This time, it was Callie who woke up. "I've got him." She mumbled as she dragged her body out of bed, and through to the attached room where Timothy slept.

She smiled at her son who peered up at her curiously. She knew that Timothy couldn't really see anything yet or really recognize her face very well, but it made her happy to think that he was looking up at her.

"Hey, little guy." She cooed, picking him up. As soon as he was picked up his cries ceased and he contently babbled away. "It was attention you needed, huh buddy?"

Just as Callie laid Timothy down on the changing table, Maya walked into the main bedroom, saying nothing before she, too, crawled under the covers and cuddles up beside her sister and mom.

"Is this our new morning routine? Children invading our bedroom?" Arizona fake huffed as she felt Maya climb in beside her. This was not an uncommon occurrence. Their day usually started at around seven am, when Timothy's internal alarm clock would wake them up. Hearing their brother crying, Ellie and Maya would then come into their room and they would all cuddle up for a while before officially starting their day.

"Comfy." Ellie simply said as she sat up. "Timothy's awake!" She exclaimed happily, bounced off of the bed and going to stand next to the changing table, where Callie was just finishing changing Timothy's first dirty diaper of the day.

"Timothy needs feeding." Callie commented, handing the tiny blue bundle of blankets to Arizona, who covered herself up with a blanket before encouraging Timothy to latch on, which he did with no problem. She sighed in relief. In the first few weeks, Timothy hadn't quite been able to get hang of feeding- it had been a matter of concern for a while, but it seemed that things were looking up.

"I'm gonna get ready for school." Maya announced, emerging from her pile of blankets and leaving the room. Arizona chuckled to herself. In the morning, Maya was the least talkative person she had ever met. Even worse than Callie, which was saying something. It amazed her how similar Maya and Callie were- although not blood related, Maya was the complete copy of Callie's personality.

"I'm going to work today." Arizona said excitedly. Now that Timothy was six weeks old, she felt like she was ready to go back to work. Having a new-born didn't present her with many chances to get out of the house, and she was going stir crazy. She loved her son to the ends of the earth, but she was ready to go back. For most mothers, this was a very short maternity leave, but as a raised army brat and surgeon, she was used to being on the go twenty-four seven.

"And I'm going to stay home with my babies." Callie sighed blissfully. Now that Arizona was going back to work, it was Callie's turn to take a good few weeks off to stay home with Timothy. She looked forward to the chance to get to spend some one on one time with her little boy.

Ellie, whose school had a teacher's in-service day, frowned. "I'm not a baby, mama. I'm five."

"Of course." Callie laughed, before correcting herself. "I'm going to stay home with my baby boy and my big girl."

"Better." Ellie appraised. "I need to find Mayabear." She sighed. Ellie was the only one whom Maya allowed to use her nickname, Mayabear. It was a cute thing that the two sisters had. Maya was the only person allowed to call Ellie 'Elliephant' and Ellie was the only one allowed to call Maya 'Mayabear.'. Between the two, they had dubbed their new brother 'Timmybug.' Both Callie and Arizona found it ridiculously adorable.

"You ready to go back to work today?" Callie asked Arizona, sitting down beside her wife who was busy feeding their son.

"More than ready." Arizona nodded. She picked Timothy up and held him over her shoulder, patting his back gently to burp him as she took in his sweet, baby smell. "I don't wanna leave this little guy, though. He's too cute."

Callie nodded in agreement. With a head full of blonde curls already, and blue eyes identical to Arizona's, Timothy was certainly a charmer. She gently ran her hands through his curls. "I just love these curls." She cooed at her son, who was looking intently at her.

"I love them now, yes. But the heartburn was unimaginable." Arizona sighed. She had been pretty lucky in her pregnancy with Timothy, aside from horrible heartburn, the cause of which proved itself when Sir Timothy Marcus was born with neatly a full head of hair. "Every single bit worth it, though." She admitted, nuzzling her nose against her son's golden curls.

Glancing at the clock, Arizona realised it was approaching seven thirty, and she had an hour to get to work. Carefully lifting Timothy up, she handed him to Callie and covered herself up before standing. Yawning loudly, she stretched every muscle in her body to rid herself of the usual morning grogginess.

It didn't take long for her to get ready. She showered quickly, washing her hair and ridding the sleep from the corners of her eyes, and got dressed. She blow-dried her hair and applied a light coat of makeup, staring contentedly at her reflection in the mirror. This was the most human she had felt in weeks. Usually, she spent her days in sweatpants and baby vomit-stained t-shirts, with her hair thrown back carelessly. She loved being a mom. She loved staying at home with her kids. But she was excited to get back in to the normalcy of her life and maintain human contact outside of her own household.

"Ready, amigo?" She asked Maya, popping her head in to her daughter's bedroom. Maya was tying the laces on her Converse, looking preoccupied. Noting that they had roughly ten minutes to leave before they would be late, Arizona sat down on the bed beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah, just a big chemistry test today. Going over the facts in my head." She told Arizona confidently, looking her mom in the eye to convey the truthfulness of her words. Arizona nodded, accepting her daughter's truth. She knew that chemistry was Maya's least favourite and most worried about subject.

"Okay, well, good luck. Text me when you're done. And I'm willing to help with anything. I aced chemistry in high school." Arizona said with a smile.

"Well it's alright for some." Maya laughed as she stood up, slinging her school bag over her shoulder and following Arizona out of the room.

On the way to Maya's school, which was Arizona's first and only stop en route to the hospital, they chattered away quietly. Arizona treasured moments like these in which she could spend some one on one time with her oldest daughter. Because Ellie had just turned five and Timothy was just seeing his sixth week of life, they consumed a lot of her time and energy. And while Maya was a big part of it and understood completely, neither Callie nor Arizona wanted their oldest daughter to feel neglected in any way based on the assumption that she understood.

"Hey, you got this right?" Arizona said encouragingly, taking Maya's hand in her own and squeezing it reassuringly. "You have an extraordinary mind. Pass or fail, a chemistry test does not dictate that. Okay?"

"Thanks, mom." Maya smiled, visibly relaxing. "I'll text when it's over." She promised, exiting the car.

"You better, or you're grounded!" Arizona yelled as the car door slammed shut. "Next stop, Seattle Grace." She said to herself, feeling a rush of excitement.

"Dr Robbins, you're back!"

As she entered the peds floor, finally feeling like home in the familiar corridors, she was approached by one of her long-term peds/ortho patients, Hayden Laing. Hayden had been born with a bone structure defect in her legs, and she and Callie had been working over the past seven months to correct it.

"I'm back! How are you feeling?" She asked, placing a gentle hand on the little girl's shoulder and smiling a friendly hello at Hayden's parents, Matthew and Kate.

"I'm good. Daddy said I'm having another surgery soon?" Hayden questioned as Arizona wheeled her back in to her designated room.

"Yep, as soon at Dr Torres comes back to work, in about two weeks."

"Yay. Then my legs will be better." Hayden said hopefully. "Why did you go away?"

"I just took some time off of work. I had a baby." Arizona revealed, watching in amusement as Hayden's eyes widened.

"You did?" She asked in amazement. "That sounds like hard work."

Arizona laughed along with Hayden's parents. "It was. But Timothy was worth it. Now, why don't you help yourself to this scrummy lunch, and maybe there will be a pudding cup later." She said slyly, backing out of the room and proceeding her morning rounds.

"Thank goodness you're back. You're never having any more babies." Teddy said as she collapsed into a chair next to Arizona in the cafeteria.

"Sorry, my bad. My reparation is your endless supply of baby cuddles."

Teddy narrowed her eyes. "I guess I'll let it go. You look exhausted, by the way."

Arizona proved her point with a yawn. "Three kids, Teddy. I'm not messing around."

The two friends continued to talk away, having the kind of catch up that soothed the soul. Although they had talked plenty over the last few weeks, Teddy being Timothy's favourite aunt and godmother, it was good to be able to have a proper conversation.

Teddy watched Arizona carefully, feeling grateful that for once, her friend's tired appearance radiated happiness instead of ghosts from the nightmares that she knew had plagued Arizona for two years. She and Arizona had known each other for fifteen years, which meant they'd known each other through some of the hardest times in their lives. It made her happy to turn her gaze away from their past and look on to their futures. They were both in pretty good places right now. They had made it.

"You're going to give yourself an aneurysm if you keep thinking that hard. Your brain isn't used to it." Arizona quipped, sipping on her milkshake.

"Oh, haha." Teddy snarked, throwing a fry at the blonde. "I was just thinking, actually, about how far we've come. That we made it through so much."

"Aw, Teds." Arizona said in a high-pitched voice, throwing her arms around her friend. "Who knew you could be so mushy?"

"Well, I was nice for about two seconds. Time's up." Teddy grumbled.

"Okay, but seriously, Teddy. I'm glad I've had you by my side." Arizona said, smiling.

"I'm glad I've had you, too."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later that night, after a wholesome day full of surgeries and consults, Arizona walked through the threshold of the house, surprised to hear silence. Checking the clock on the wall in the hallway, she registered that it was approaching 9:20pm. Late enough for Ellie to be asleep, but not so much for there to be silence throughout the house.

Listening carefully, Arizona dumped her bag on the table beside the front door and made her way up the stairs. She could hear, faintly, the sound of the TV coming from the room she shared with Callie and headed towards there.

Stopping in the hallway just outside Ellie's room, she slowly pushed the door open, squinting through the darkness to make out the faint outline of her daughter's sleeping form. She could just see the steady rise and fall of Ellie's chest from the other side of the room. She watched intently, mesmerised by the innocence of such a small child, fast asleep, who was oblivious to the outside world. Unaware of suffering and pain. Obsessed with Mulan and gummy bears.

After a few minutes, Arizona shut the door quietly behind her and made her way through to the master bedroom. When she opened the door, the sight that met her made her want to laugh out loud.

Maya and Callie were sprawled out in identical positions on opposite sides of the bed, and Timothy was lying in between two cushions in between them, wide awake and cooing away happily. Laughing to herself, the leant over the edge of the bed and scooped Timothy up, careful not to jostle the bed too much and wake Callie or Maya.

"Hey, little guy. Did you tire them out?" Arizona cooed softly, walking through to the nursery, which was conjoined with the bedroom. Timothy waved his arm out, his face scrunching up in a cry, one that Arizona recognised was from tiredness. "Oh, baby. Long day, huh?"

Rocking her son soothingly, she lowered herself in to the rocking chair and began to sing softly the only song out of many that was ever successful in getting little Timothy to sleep.

 _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine;_  
 _You make me happy, when skies are grey._  
 _You'll never know dear, how much I love you._  
 _Please don't take my sunshine away._

As she watched Timothy's face slowly evaporate of any discontent or tiredness and be replaced by a look of blank peacefulness, she stood back up and lowered him into his crib, carefully tucking blankets around him, making sure that no part of his tiny body would be cold throughout the night.

As she had done with Ellie, she lingered back a few minutes to watch her son sleep. It was one of her favourite things to do. To see her children, who were so full of life and energy throughout the day be so still and peaceful. It made all of the tantrums, the arguments over whether wearing princess dresses to school was acceptable or not, the debates on curfews and the many, many dirty diapers every single bit worthy.

Re-entering the bedroom, she carefully shook Maya awake. "Maya, sweetie." She gave it a few seconds before she tried again. "Come on, you should go to bed."

It took a few seconds, but Maya eventually stirred and opened her eyes, blinking furiously to rid her eyes of sleep. "What time is it?" She yawned, sitting up and stretching her arms out.

"Nearly 9:30. Time to go to bed."

"M'kay." Maya mumbled, still half asleep. She stood up and wrapped her arms around Arizona. "Aced my test, by the way."

Arizona smiled proudly. "I bet you did. You can tell me all about it in the morning." She told her daughter, watching as Maya shuffled out of the room, smiling at her daughter's half-asleep state.

She quickly changed in to her pyjamas, brushed her teeth and climbed in to bed. As she settled under the covers, Callie began to stir.

"You're home." Callie smiled happily when she saw her wife. "How was your first day back?"

"It was great. Rocked three surgeries and did some consults. What about yours?" Arizona asked, pulling the covers up around her chin and basking in the cosy warmth.

"Timothy had a massive poop explosion. It was just... _everywhere._ " Callie said, her eyes widening in horror.

Arizona laughed at her wife's traumatised expression. "Well, the last time he had a poop explosion he was with me. It was about time you had your turn."

Callie sighed. "I know, but it was just all over the place and it was on my hands and-"

"Shh." Arizona interrupted her. "Don't talk about Timothy's poop when I'm about to kiss you." She said, pressing a soft kiss on her wife's lips. She then grabbed Callie's arm and wrapped it around herself, content to sleep in her wife's arms for the rest of her life.

"Love you." Callie said quietly, already halfway back to dreamland.

"Love you, too." Arizona yawned. Before either of them knew it, they were both sound asleep, getting as many hours of rest as they could before the life they loved soon rose again in the morning.


End file.
